Same Path Trips Angels

Minutes after a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Monday at Tropicana Field saddled the Angels with their season-high fifth consecutive defeat, second baseman Adam Kennedy said the Angels’ slide had momentarily rendered the pennant race meaningless.

“That’s the last thing on our minds right now,” Kennedy said of the quest to catch Seattle in the American League West and three teams in the wild-card race. “Stringing some wins together to put us in that position [to be in the race] is on our minds.”

The Angels (49-48) remained 9 1/2 games behind Seattle in the division but now are almost as far out in the wild-card standings, where they trail Boston by 8 1/2 games. Oakland and Toronto also are ahead of Anaheim in the wild-card race.

A disturbing pattern of falling behind early and rallying late only to come up a run short -- which has been the case in four of the Angels’ five defeats during the current losing streak -- occurred again Monday against one of the weakest teams in baseball.

The Angels spotted the Devil Rays (35-62), owners of the second-worst record in the major leagues, a three-run lead and then scored one run in the eighth and another in the ninth before leaving the potential tying run standing on first base.

Jeff DaVanon’s ninth-inning sacrifice fly pulled the Angels to within a run, but Bengie Molina left Shawn Wooten stranded after grounding out to third baseman Damian Rolls, whose throw in the dirt was corralled by first baseman Travis Lee. Tampa Bay thwarted the Angels behind a season-best performance by pitcher Rob Bell (2-2), who gave up one run and six hits over 7 1/3 innings.

The Devil Rays improved to 9-8 in July -- the same record possessed by the Angels, who had won five consecutive games and 12 of 16 before the All-Star break. The Angels’ skid is their worst since they lost six consecutive games in April 2002, but Manager Mike Scioscia said the slide is not attributable to a lack of effort.

“If anything, some guys are trying too hard,” Scioscia said. “The character of this team is incredible. Nobody feels it more than these guys when we lose.

“I think we’re a good enough team to absorb a stretch like this. We’ll be fine. It’s always darkest before the dawn, and right now we’re in a little bit of a dark spot.”

The Angels lost third baseman Troy Glaus for the evening -- and possibly a few days longer -- when he landed awkwardly on his right shoulder while attempting to field a third-inning bunt off the bat of Julio Lugo. Angel pitcher Aaron Sele altered the path of the ball when he tipped it with his glove, causing Glaus to change direction and slip on the artificial surface. Glaus was listed as day to day after being examined by Tampa Bay’s team orthopedist.

The Devil Rays scored their first two runs immediately after Glaus left. Antonio Perez’s single through the hole between third base and shortstop drove in one run and Aubrey Huff’s double-play grounder scored the other. Rocco Baldelli made it 3-0 in the seventh when he reached on a bunt single and scored on Lee’s hit-and-run double to right.

The Angels did not score through seven innings despite putting the leadoff man on base in three of the first four innings. Their most egregious failure to score came in the third, when Kennedy was left at third base after leading off with a bunt single and advancing two bases on Bell’s errant throw into right field.

Kennedy said his thinking upon reaching third base wasn’t whether he would score but which pitch he would score on. “You figure you’re going to come in right there,” he said, “and it didn’t happen.”

The Angels finally broke through in the eighth when Kennedy hit a one-out double down the left field line and scored on David Eckstein’s double down the right field line. But former Angel reliever Al Levine stranded Eckstein by retiring the next two hitters.

Sele (6-7), pitching for the first time since a five-inning limit instituted to help him build his stamina after surgery was lifted, gave up seven hits and two runs over six innings. He issued three walks and did not record a strikeout while throwing 81 pitches. It was the first loss of his career against the Devil Rays after seven consecutive victories.