No Sign of Relief for Angels Lately

The Angels’ clubhouse was quiet, very quiet. In a pennant race, this was a game that had to be won.

With closer Troy Percival and set-up men Al Levine and Dennis Cook on the disabled list, the Angel bullpen includes three pitchers who started the season in the minor leagues and another who started the season in the rotation. The Angels are trying to patch a relief corps together for now, and help might be on the way, but the pennant race might pass them by in the meantime.

Scott Schoeneweis gave up a two-run homer in the seventh inning and a three-run homer in the eighth, as the Angels blew a 7-1 lead and lost their third consecutive game, this one 10-8 to the Minnesota Twins. The Angels fell into a tie with the Oakland Athletics for second place in the American League West, four games behind the Seattle Mariners.

The Angels play again today against the Twins, who lead the AL Central by 10 games. After that are 11 consecutive games against Seattle and Oakland, followed by seven against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

“We all know the next four weeks are going to make our season,” outfielder Tim Salmon said. “We’ve got a tough schedule ahead. There are going to be some tough losses ahead.

“You’re playing good teams. You can’t always expect to go out and win every game.”

This one was entirely winnable. The Angels took advantage of seven walks by Minnesota starter Johan Santana, got their first three-hit game from Troy Glaus since May 2, and John Lackey willed himself beyond his shaky defense to pitch six innings, giving up five runs (three earned).

The Twins scored four times in the fifth inning, in part because of an error by shortstop David Eckstein and because of one of three wild pitches by Lackey.

But Lackey, who threw five wild pitches in 102 innings at triple-A Salt Lake, was not helped by Shawn Wooten, catching in place of the injured Bengie Molina. Wooten failed to block each of the three wild pitches on the short hop.

Nonetheless, Schoeneweis inherited an 8-5 lead when he replaced Lackey to begin the seventh inning. Schoeneweis, sent to the bullpen last month so that Lackey could start, has pitched splendidly in relief.

Schoeneweis got the first two outs of the seventh, but Corey Koskie singled and Torii Hunter hit a fastball for a homer, and the Twins had cut the lead to 8-7.

Schoeneweis got the first two outs of the eighth inning, but Luis Rivas and Bobby Kielty singled, and Cristian Guzman hit another fastball for the game-winning home run.

“I threw the ball as well as I can throw,” Schoeneweis said. “It’s just par for the course, pretty much.

“I’ll throw those pitches 100 more times, and they won’t hit them out. They’re a good-hitting team, but I can’t throw the ball much better.”

First baseman Scott Spiezio cautioned that one loss, no matter how disheartening, would not make or break the season. Look at the Yankees, he said; closer Mariano Rivera gave up six runs in one inning Sunday.

Still, the Yankees are in first place.

“If you lose too many of these, you’re definitely in trouble,” Spiezio said. “You definitely have to win these types of games.”

Manager Mike Scioscia, ever the steady hand, was in no way the picture of despair. He spoke of the big picture, saying defeat could turn into victory on another night just as victory turned into defeat Monday night.

Still, there is a weak spot on the club right now. Of the relievers on the opening day roster, only two--Lou Pote and Ben Weber--are on the active roster today.

“All in all, the components on our club are fine,” Scioscia said. “In this little time frame, there’s a void in our bullpen. We’re going to have to work around that.”