Good Try Isn’t Good Enough

Troy Glaus flipped his bat away in disgust in the sixth inning Sunday after striking out during another feeble at-bat.

Moments later, the third baseman removed his helmet and flung it toward the dugout, another gesture that encapsulated an afternoon and a season painfully slipping away from the Angels.

As maddening as the scene was for the defending World Series champions, who were being shut out during another loss at Camden Yards, it would only get worse after Angel Manager Mike Scioscia inserted a horde of reserves in the eighth inning with his team trailing by six runs.

The second-stringers rallied for five runs in the ninth, putting the tying run on second base and potential go-ahead run on first, before Chone Figgins popped out to second to secure the Baltimore Orioles’ 7-6 victory and first four-game sweep of the Angels since 1965.

“I don’t think the character of this team has ever been questioned,” said Angel center fielder Darin Erstad, whose late-inning replacement, Eric Owens, hit a run-scoring double and later came home on Scott Spiezio’s three-run homer. “I was surprised they didn’t come back all the way.”

Moral victories are not going to help the Angels (49-47) reach the postseason again, not when they trail the Seattle Mariners by 9 1/2 games in the American League West.

Fortunately for the Angels, the Mariners mitigated the damage Sunday by losing to Kansas City for the third time in four games. And the second-place Oakland Athletics remained frozen, five games ahead of the Angels, after being swept by Minnesota in a four-game series.

So even though the Angels single-handedly transformed the Orioles into playoff contenders during their four days here, they realize they could be in worse shape heading into a pair of two-game series against lowly Tampa Bay and Texas.

“We’ve got four games left and we’ve got to try to salvage a .500 trip,” said Angel closer Troy Percival, who, for only the second time this season, found himself pitching in a game the Angels trailed, when he entered in the eighth with the Orioles ahead, 7-1.

Scioscia had appeared to wave the white flag at the time, inserting a lineup that included reserves Shawn Wooten at first base, Owens in center field, Figgins at shortstop and Benji Gil at second base.

But after shutting down Baltimore in the eighth, the Angels sprung to life during their final at-bat, nearly putting Percival in position for his first victory.

Figgins led off against Oriole reliever Travis Driskill with a single to right but was erased on Jose Molina’s fielder’s choice that almost went for a double play. Wooten singled and Owens doubled, driving in Molina, before Spiezio blasted a three-run homer over the right-field scoreboard that pulled the Angels to within 7-5.

Oriole Manager Mike Hargrove summoned closer Jorge Julio, who gave up a single to Gil. Gil, who moved to second when center fielder Luis Matos momentarily bobbled the ball, scored on Garret Anderson’s single to center to make it 7-6.

The Angels avoided a potential game-ending double play when Anderson broke for second before Glaus’ groundout. But after Jeff DaVanon walked on five pitches, Figgins popped out to leave the Angels with their fourth consecutive defeat -- matching their longest skid of the season -- after winning five consecutive before the All-Star break.

“It’s a little disappointing, especially considering the way we played before the break,” Angel starter John Lackey said, “but we’ll put together a run. We’ve got too many good players in this clubhouse not to.”

Lackey (7-9) gave up 11 hits over five innings but did not pitch as poorly as those numbers indicate, falling victim to several lapses on defense and well-placed hits.

Lackey pitched himself into trouble -- especially with Oriole fans -- when he threw a third-inning fastball that smacked All-Star left fielder Melvin Mora in the cheek.

Mora, who suffered a bruised cheek and a cut on the inside of his mouth, had to be helped off the field by two trainers and underwent X-rays, which were negative.

After the Orioles chased Lackey with four consecutive singles in the sixth, Mora’s replacement, David Segui, blasted reliever Francisco Rodriguez’s first pitch for a sixth-inning grand slam that gave Baltimore a 7-0 lead.

The Angels scored one run in the eighth before their outburst in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to stem a suddenly disturbing slide.

“You can’t let it be demoralizing,” Scioscia said. “You can’t let one loss or one series carry over to another. We’re not going to let things carry over. We’re going to start fresh in Tampa.”