Angel Win Streak Runs Aground in Toronto

The last thing you want to do is walk up to Scott Schoeneweis, hand him a stat sheet and point to his numbers.

“If I looked at that, I’d retire,” he said.

The Angels’ eight-game winning streak ended here Saturday, in a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays that was far uglier than the score indicated. Schoeneweis and the strike zone were barely acquainted in the first inning, the defense was abominable and the offense failed in a dozen chances to deliver a clutch hit.

Schoeneweis has made six starts this season, winning one and losing four, with a 6.03 earned-run average. He was not awful Saturday, giving up four runs in seven innings, but he showed yet again why he is a pitcher with virtually no margin for error.

He elicits ground balls, lots of them. He gives up lots of hits too, because some of the ground balls go through the infield.

So, for him to succeed, two things must happen: He must throw strikes, because he cannot afford to give up walks lest all those hits drive in runs. And his defense must play flawlessly behind him, turning all those ground balls into outs and preferably into double plays.

Neither happened Saturday. Schoeneweis threw more balls than strikes in the first inning--20 to 17--hitting the first batter of the game, Homer Bush, and walking Carlos Delgado. Sure enough, Bush and Delgado scored, as the Blue Jays turned two otherwise harmless hits into a 2-0 lead and took advantage of Schoeneweis making as many pitches in one inning as he ought to make in three.

Schoeneweis did not give up a home run. But the Blue Jays put 14 runners on base against him in seven innings, on nine hits, four walks and the hit batter.

“I kept the ball on the ground for the most part,” he said. “I’d like to have a 1-2-3 inning here and there, but that’s how I pitch.”

He did get 13 of 21 outs on ground balls. Toronto’s Justin Miller, making his second major league start, earned the victory by holding the Angels to four hits over seven innings, in the process ending the Blue Jays’ nine-game losing streak.

Miller got 14 of 21 outs on ground balls, and his defense made no mistakes behind him.

The Angels did turn two double plays behind Schoeneweis, but they committed two errors and made two other poor defensive plays. Third baseman Troy Glaus sailed a throw wide of first base for one error, and shortstop David Eckstein dropped a throw from Schoeneweis, turning what should have been a 1-6-3 double play into another error.

In addition, Glaus bobbled another potential double-play ball, forcing him to settle for a force play, and right fielder Tim Salmon tried to throw out a runner at home plate but tossed the ball halfway between the plate and the on-deck circle.

“The way I look at it is, when you get a lot of chances, errors are going to happen,” Schoeneweis said. “I do rely on my defense quite a bit, but everybody relies on their defense.

“Obviously, I don’t strike anybody out, ever. For me to get outs, they’re on balls in play.”

The Angels’ defense has stumbled, and not just when Schoeneweis pitches. No team in the American League has made more errors, including nine during the eight-game winning streak.

The Angels were encouraged when Glaus cut his errors from 33 two years ago to 19 last season. But he has committed six errors one month into the new season, five in the last nine games.

“Just not catching it cleanly,” he said. “That’s about it.”

The Angels closed ranks behind Schoeneweis after the game. Manager Mike Scioscia said the futile offense was “more of the story” than Schoeneweis, who despite the flaws kept the Angels within striking distance.

The team started the day hitting .307 with runners in scoring position, second to the Boston Red Sox among major league teams, but went 0 for 12 in that situation Saturday. So, when reporters gathered around pitching coach Bud Black to discuss the struggles of Schoeneweis, Black subtly suggested the offense could have bailed out the pitcher but did not.

“If we score 21 runs, we’re probably not talking,” Black said.