Scioscia Is Fighting a Losing Battle

The Angels are now 29 games out of first place, either a season high or a season low depending on how you look at it.

It’s all warped, thanks to those rampaging Seattle Mariners. The Angels lost a franchise-record 95 games in 1980, and they finished 32 games out of first place. The Angels (73-69) could finish further out of first place this season and still finish with a winning record.

Just a statistical oddity to ponder, since Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins before 25,913 at Edison Field isn’t worth much pondering.

The Twins scored all six runs in the fourth inning, capped by a grand slam by Corey Koskie, on a night Angel starter Pat Rapp pitched very poorly.

Troy Glaus recorded three hits for the Angels, including his 38th home run, and David Eckstein set a franchise record when he was hit by a pitch for the 19th time this season.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia was almost defiant in his insistence that his team remains in the American League wild-card race and will do so until eliminated. The Angels trail the Oakland Athletics by 12 games with 20 to play, and even the official major league statistical package no longer lists the Angels in the daily wild-card standings, but Scioscia refuses to consider the thought of conceding this season and playing for next season.

“Nobody here has that attitude,” Scioscia said. “Maybe people in the press are perceiving we’re not in it, and that’s your prerogative. But nobody in this organization doesn’t still have their eyes on the prize.”

Rapp is Exhibit A in Scioscia’s approach. The Angels signed Rapp to a one-year contract last December, asking him to eat a ton of innings and buying a year of development for their minor league pitchers.

Rapp did exactly as he was asked. He has pitched 165 innings, not brilliantly but well enough to give the Angels a chance to win almost all of his starts. But the Angels didn’t hit very well this season, and Rapp is 5-12 with a 4.80 earned-run average.

The Angels haven’t said a word to him about next season, and Rapp has told anyone who will listen that he does not expect to return to Anaheim. General Manager Bill Stoneman says rookie Matt Wise, promoted from triple-A Salt Lake for the final month of the season, is ready to win a job in the rotation.

But that was Rapp starting Saturday, and that was Wise pitching in relief.

“We’re not looking at any situation as a tryout camp,” Scioscia said. “We’re out here to win ballgames.”

Rapp, the veteran, delivered his shortest start of the season. He pitched 32/3 innings, giving up six runs, seven hits and five walks. Of the six Twins to score in the fourth inning, he walked three.

Wise, the rookie, pitched the final three innings and did not give up a hit. He faced the minimum nine batters, with the only one to reach base--on a walk--subsequently erased on a double play.

If and when the Angels are eliminated, Scioscia said he would not necessarily remove veterans Rapp and/or Ismael Valdes from the starting rotation.

Instead, Scioscia said, he would be inclined to offer Wise and/or Brian Cooper, another September callup, a spot start or two, providing the veterans with an extra day of rest over the final weeks.