Mariners Put Cork in Angels

Every few minutes, Jarrod Washburn would look up. As the Angels played outside, and as Washburn sat inside the Angel clubhouse charting pitches, the clubhouse attendants scrambled around the room, large plastic sheets in their hands. The guys rolled up the sheets and pinned them above each locker.

“It was a little tease,” Washburn said.

If the Angels had rallied to take the lead in the ninth inning, the guys would have hustled to unroll the plastic sheets. If the Angels had won, champagne would be flying around the room, and the plastic would protect the clothes, shoes and gloves inside the lockers as the Angels celebrated their first playoff berth in 16 years.

Well, maybe today. The clubhouse was dry after Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

The loss pushed the Angels closer to a first-round playoff matchup against the New York Yankees. The Angels fell two games behind Oakland in the American League West--effectively, three games, because the A’s won the tiebreaker--with seven to play.

The winner of the AL West gets home-field advantage and gets to face the Minnesota Twins. The loser gets the wild card and the New York Yankees, amid the mystique of Yankee Stadium.

And today, the Angels get to pitch their ace, in the game that could guarantee them a red October.

“I like being that guy,” Washburn said. “I would have rather we got it done today and stay one game back of Oakland. That said, it’s going to be fun.”

Those plastic sheets came oh-so-close to coming down Saturday, as the Angels got the tying runs on base in the eighth inning and loaded the bases with two out in the ninth. Seattle closer Kazuhiro Sasaki ended the game by retiring Garret Anderson on a fly ball.

But, by the time Sasaki entered the game, the Angels had made the two blunders that lost them the game.

In the fifth inning, with Seattle up, 2-1, and the bases loaded with two out, John Olerud grounded to third baseman Troy Glaus. Rather than throw to first base, Glaus opted for the force at second, even with second baseman Adam Kennedy shading Olerud toward first base.

“He would have had a play at first,” first baseman Scott Spiezio said. “I think he had a play at either base.”

Glaus was not available for comment.

By trying for the play at second, Glaus had to try to hit a moving target in Kennedy. He missed, the throw sailed into right field, and the bases cleared. Bret Boone then doubled home Olerud, giving the Mariners four unearned runs and a 6-1 lead.

The Angels closed within 6-4 in the seventh inning, with home runs from Darin Erstad and Bengie Molina. With two on and two out in the eighth, the Angels used their preferred pinch-hitter, Orlando Palmeiro.

But Spiezio, running from second base, took off for third, and pitcher Jeff Nelson calmly stepped off the rubber to avoid a balk, then started a rundown in which Spiezio was tagged for the third out, depriving Palmeiro of his chance.

It wasn’t an entirely lost afternoon for the Angels. They were pleased with the performance of starter John Lackey, the victim of Glaus’ error. Lackey took a shutout into the fifth inning before giving up six runs--two earned. He remains scheduled to start the fourth game of the playoffs.

And the Angels were thrilled with the performance of Francisco Rodriguez, whom they wanted to evaluate in a tense situation as they decide whether to include the kid on their playoff roster. In his third major league appearance, with one out and runners on second and third, he struck out Dan Wilson and Jeff Cirillo. Rodriguez, 20, has struck out seven consecutive batters.