Win Some, Lose Some for Angels

The fans have been more than generous to the Angels this summer. Another sellout crowd, the 17th of the season, packed Edison Field on Saturday, shouting and stomping and waving goofy-looking giveaway hats.

The Angels did not return the favor, again. They lost meekly, 8-1, to the Oakland Athletics, crashing back to the .500 mark. There is no magic in the kingdom this year.

“Everybody is frustrated,” first baseman Shawn Wooten said. “It just seems like it’s been the complete opposite of last year.”

The Angels, who have lost eight of 10, are at .500 for the 19th time this season and the first time since June 30. They trail the Seattle Mariners by 11 1/2 games in the American League West and the Boston Red Sox by 9 1/2 games in the wild-card race. In both races, they have lost two games in two days to the A’s, who had 15 hits Saturday.

On this date last year, on their way to the World Series, the Angels were 20 games over .500 and one game out of first place.

With the trading deadline four days away, and some fans, talk-show hosts and columnists clamoring for the Angels to spend wildly and trade for an expensive player to spark a late run, the stark reality is this: There is no justifiable reason for General Manager Bill Stoneman and new owner Arte Moreno to do so, no sense that surrendering any assets for the chance to win this season is prudent.

“One guy is not going to make a difference if we play the way we’ve been playing lately,” infielder Scott Spiezio said.

The Angels grounded into five double plays Saturday, a dubious feat they last accomplished in 1989.

One guy cannot stop the infield juggle caused by the injury to third baseman Troy Glaus. The A’s scored twice in the third inning, in which one man reached base when a ground ball squirted past Spiezio, moved from first base to third to replace Glaus, and another reached base when a ground ball glanced off the glove of Wooten, playing first in place of Spiezio.

“We’ve got some leaks on the boat,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s going to take some time to get things settled.”

One guy cannot cure the injuries, nagging and otherwise. Glaus is on the disabled list. Shortstop David Eckstein and pitcher Jarrod Washburn are playing despite shoulder soreness. Center fielder Darin Erstad, who wears a knee brace to stabilize a tender hamstring, broke the brace while diving for a ball Friday. He showed off the brace Saturday but scoffed at a suggestion he list it on EBay.

“Darin Erstad’s brace? You think anyone would pay for that?” he said.

One guy cannot transform a starting rotation from inconsistent to spectacular, or even pretty good. Aaron Sele (6-8) delivered an all-too-typical Angel start Saturday -- five innings, four runs (three earned), seven hits, 41 balls in 108 pitches -- not horrible, not good.

Oakland’s Rich Harden, preceded by a buzz that started when he retired the first 47 minor league batters he faced this season, earned his first major league victory, holding the Angels to one run over seven innings.

The Angels stirred briefly in the eighth, rallying against the Oakland bullpen to load the bases with two out when it was still only 5-1. All-Star Garret Anderson, representing the tying run, fouled out.

One inning later, the defending champions were back at .500.

“I’ve seen it better. I’ve seen it worse,” Erstad said. “We’re looking for any kind of spark. We just haven’t been able to put it together. We haven’t been able to get anything going at all. It’s very frustrating.”