Crunched Time

For the first time this season, and perhaps for the first time in his life, there was no confidence in his voice. He coughed, still fighting off a bout with flu. He spoke quietly. He wore defeat on his face, uneasily.

On Saturday, the Angels will play a must-win game. If they win, they will play another must-win game Sunday. If they lose either game, the San Francisco Giants will be World Series champions, and the Wisconsin winter will be a long and lonely one for Jarrod Washburn.

The Giants pounded Washburn and crushed the Angels, 16-4, in Game 5 on Thursday. San Francisco leads the best-of-seven series, three games to two, with two of those victories over the Angels’ ace. In the most critical game of his season, the Giants routed him for three runs in the first inning and three more in the second.

“I don’t know if I can put into words how disappointing it is,” Washburn said. “Every guy in this room is counting on me. I’m expected to do the job, being the ace and all that.

“For me to lose two games in the World Series and let these guys down, I can’t put into words how bad I feel.”

He won 18 games this season, including 12 in a row. The Angels might well use him in relief in Game 7, but he did not embrace that possibility Thursday.

“I don’t know if they’ll want to put me out there Sunday,” he said. “If I’m called upon, I will.”

Jeff Kent hit two home runs, Rich Aurilia one, Barry Bonds none.

But the Angels never appeared more helpless than in the seventh inning, when they stacked three infielders between first base and second and Bonds still grounded a single into right field.

Who’s going to stop them? Washburn, the ace, has tried twice, failed twice. Kevin Appier, who starts Game 6, failed to survive the third inning in Game 2. Francisco Rodriguez, the formerly untouchable reliever, was the losing pitcher in Game 4. If he appears in Game 6, closer Troy Percival will be working for the first time in six days and the second time in 13 days.

If the Angels win Game 6, they could start Ramon Ortiz, bothered by tendinitis, or John Lackey, on three days’ rest.

Washburn was so ineffective in the first two innings that Manager Mike Scioscia would have been justified in yanking him for a pinch-hitter in the third, thus preserving the option of starting him on two days’ rest in a possible Game 7.

But Scioscia refused to throw in the towel on Game 5 so soon. Washburn silenced the Giants in the third and fourth innings, facing the minimum six batters. The Angels roared back, bringing the tying run to the plate in the fifth inning and again in the sixth.

The Angels found themselves in an unenviable -- and thoroughly unfamiliar -- position. In the World Series, they never had trailed by more than three runs. In the league championship series, they never had trailed by more than two.

Never in a brutal September schedule did they find themselves so far behind. The last time they trailed by six runs was Aug. 17, in a 9-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians, a game also started by Washburn.

This has not been a World Series dominated by starting pitching. In five games, the Angel starters have posted a 9.14 earned-run average, the Giant starters an 8.72 ERA. No starter has pitched past the sixth inning.

San Francisco starter Jason Schmidt appeared headed in that direction Thursday, with a 6-0 lead and seven strikeouts through four innings, on a fastball clocked as high as 98 mph. But Schmidt failed even to survive the minimum five innings required to earn the victory.

The Angels chased Schmidt by scoring three runs in the fifth inning. Orlando Palmeiro started the inning with a pinch-hit double. The Angels scored on a wild pitch by Schmidt, a sacrifice fly by Darin Erstad and a double by Troy Glaus, and the Giant lead was halved to 6-3.

After Scott Spiezio walked, bringing the tying run to the plate, the Giants replaced Schmidt with left-hander Chad Zerbe. Adam Kennedy, who does not start against left-handers, flied out for the final out.

The Angels rallied again in the sixth inning. Bengie Molina led off with a single, and pinch-hitter Benji Gil doubled Molina to third. Each of the next three batters represented the tying run; each made out.

David Eckstein grounded out, scoring Molina to cut the San Francisco lead to 6-4. Erstad grounded out weakly. Felix Rodriguez replaced Zerbe and got Tim Salmon to ground out.

The Angels’ hopes had risen quickly; the Giants would snuff out those hopes just as quickly. The Giants pounded ex-teammate Ben Weber for five runs in 1 1/3 innings, and the 11-4 lead persuaded Scioscia to let long reliever Scot Shields make his first appearance of the postseason.

On this night, the problem for the Angels was not that Shields was pitching in the seventh inning. The problem was that Shields was warming up in the second, behind the ace of the staff.

The Giants batted around in the first inning, standing around for most of the inning while Washburn struggled to find home plate. He tied two World Series records, with four walks in an inning and with three consecutive walks.

Amazingly, none of those walks went to Bonds.

Lofton singled to start the inning, and Erstad robbed Aurilia of an extra-base hit with a splendid running catch. Kent fell behind 0-2, then Washburn walked him. Bonds doubled home the first run, and Benito Santiago drove home another with a sacrifice fly.

Washburn then walked the next three batters. The last walk, to David Bell, forced home a run, and the Giants led 3-0.

In the second inning, the Giants loaded the bases, and again Erstad robbed Aurilia of an extra-base hit with a magnificent catch. But Santiago singled home two runs, on a pitch clocked at 100 mph. That would be a generous measure for Washburn, but the reading offered an indication that his fastball lacked movement, overtaken by adrenaline. Reggie Sanders drove home another run with a sacrifice fly, for a 6-0 lead.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Giant Run Production

The most runs scored by a team in a World Series game:

*--* Runs Result Game Year 18 N.Y. YANKEES 18, N.Y. GIANTS 4 Game 2 1936 16 SAN FRANCISCO, 16, ANGELS 4 Game 5 2002 16 NEW YORK YANKEES 16, PITTSBURGH 3 Game 2 1960 15 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS 15, N.Y. YANKEES 2 Game 6 2001 15 TORONTO 15, PHILADELPHIA 14 Game 4 1993 14 FLORIDA 14, CLEVELAND 11 Game 3 1997 14 PHILADELPHIA 14, TORONTO 15 Game 4 1993 14 ATLANTA 14, MINNESOTA 5 Game 5 1991

*--*

*--* To Pitch to Him or Not to Pitch to Him BREAKDOWN OF BARRY BONDS’ PLATE APPEARANCES IN THE WORLD SERIES No Times Giants Runs Scored by Scored in or Giants in or After Plate After Plate Appearance Appearance Intentional Walks 6 Four 9 Walks 4 Once 4 Other Plate Appearances 12 Five 9

*--*

*

BONDS’ PLATE APPEARANCES BY SITUATION

*--* No Runners On 13 Four 8 Runner at First 2 Once 2 Runners at First and Second 2 Twice 4 Runner at Second 2 Twice 5 Runners at First and Third 1 None 0 Runners at Second and Third 2 Once 3

*--*

BONDS’ STATISTICS IN PLATE APPEARANCES

IN WHICH HE HAS NOT BEEN INTENTIONALLY WALKED:

*--* Plate App Runs Hits 2B HR RBI SO BB HBP Gr. Out 16 4 6 2 3 5 2 4 0 4

*--*