Appier Is Hit Often, Leaves Early

If the Angels can collect themselves and move back into the pennant race by the time they travel to Arlington to play the Texas Rangers again in late September, they might want to consider leaving Kevin Appier behind in Anaheim.

The right-hander has lost 10 consecutive decisions to the Rangers and couldn’t survive the third inning against them Thursday, when Texas belted him for four runs during a 6-5 victory over the Angels before 42,579 at Edison Field.

After giving up only two earned runs in 11 innings in his last two starts, both victories over the Dodgers, Appier lasted only 2 2/3 innings Thursday, putting the Angels in an early hole from which they were unable to escape.

“He couldn’t get out of the third inning with 76 pitches, so you know he wasn’t on,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “His command wasn’t there and the ball didn’t look like it was coming out of his hand too well.”

Said Appier: “It wasn’t like I was clueless out there. Just an off night.”

It was Appier’s shortest outing since pitching two innings April 19 in a loss to Seattle. The Angels’ highest-paid starter, making $11.5 million this season, has recorded two of the team’s three shortest outings (Aaron Sele also lasted 2 2/3 innings in a start against the New York Yankees). Appier gave up six hits and five runs Thursday, walked two and struck out none.

The veteran right-hander is 7-17 against the Rangers in his career and hasn’t beaten them since May 1996. “They’ve had their way with me the last few years,” Appier acknowledged.

The Angels made things interesting in the seventh when they scored twice -- on Bengie Molina’s homer and Jeff DaVanon’s double -- to pull within a run but stranded the tying run at third base.

Francisco Cordero retired the Angels in order in the eighth and Ugueth Urbina pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to record his American League-leading 23rd save.

With Seattle and Boston having lost earlier Thursday, the Angels (42-41) squandered a chance to make up ground in the standings, remaining 11 1/2 games behind the Mariners in the AL West and six behind Boston in the wild-card race.

Hank Blalock had the first multi-home run game of his career, hitting two with the bases empty, one off Appier and one off reliever Scot Shields, to lead the Rangers’ 11-hit attack.

Texas inflicted much of its damage against Appier (6-5) with two out in the third, when Juan Gonzalez stroked a two-run single to left to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead. Mike Lamb singled under third baseman Troy Glaus’ glove to put runners on first and second, and Kevin Mench brought them both home with a double to left for a 5-2 advantage.

Rookie Tony Mounce welcomed the run support after being given only four runs to work with in his first four starts. Mounce (1-2) held the Angels to six hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings to record his first major-league victory.

The Angels cut their deficit to 5-3 in the fourth when Garret Anderson doubled off the top of the wall in left-center, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on Glaus’ infield single.

But Blalock hit his second homer of the game in the sixth, an opposite-field shot into the Angel bullpen in left, to extend Texas’ lead by a run.

The Angels trimmed their deficit to 6-5 in the seventh, when Molina hit his eighth homer of the season and pinch-hitters Scott Spiezio and DaVanon followed with back-to-back doubles. DaVanon reached third on a sacrifice bunt but was left there after Darin Erstad struck out on a full count and Tim Salmon flied out.

The Angels had wasted another chance in the sixth after Erstad and Salmon singled to open the inning. Mounce retired Anderson on a fly ball before being relieved by Rosman Garcia, who struck out Shawn Wooten and got Glaus to ground out.