Struggling Angels Lose to Blue Jays, 4-2

The Angels pinned their lack of success during the season’s first five weeks on starting pitching even while struggling in other areas such as fielding and clutch hitting.

On Sunday those other deficiencies nudged their way to the fore as the Angels wasted six quality innings from starter Jarrod Washburn during a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Edison Field.

Two more questionable fielding plays by fill-in center fielder Jeff DaVanon and a continued inability to deliver hits in key situations contributed to the unraveling as the Angels dropped their second consecutive game and fifth in six meetings with the Blue Jays.

“We’re going to have to step up and start doing what we did last year and what we’re capable of doing right now,” said catcher Bengie Molina, who singled in three at-bats. “We’re not there yet.”

Toronto starter Roy Halladay also had something to do with the Angel misery, allowing six hits over 7 2/3 innings, but the Angels (17-19) twice failed to capitalize on late-inning threats to the disappointment of 32,129.

Garret Anderson ended a stretch in which Halladay had retired 16 consecutive batters when he stroked a one-out single to center in the seventh. Brad Fullmer moved Anderson to third with a two-out single, but Scott Spiezio grounded out to second to end the inning.

In the eighth, the Angels trimmed their deficit to 4-2 when Adam Kennedy drove in DaVanon with a two-out single to right. Kennedy then moved into scoring position when he stole second base, but Toronto reliever Cliff Politte got Tim Salmon to pop to first.

“As the game got further along,” Manager Mike Scioscia said, “we started to hit the ball a little better, but it was just too little too late.”

DaVanon, who continues to split time with Eric Owens in center field while Darin Erstad recovers from tendinitis in his right hamstring, was not charged with an error on either of his misplays, but one of them led to a run.

Mike Bordick tripled to left-center in the first when the ball eluded a sliding DaVanon and bounced toward the wall. Bordick scored on a sacrifice fly.

“That’s a ball that most of the time will be caught,” Washburn said. “But what are you going to do?”

In the sixth, Orlando Hudson hit a bloop single that bounced just in front of DaVanon after he gave up on the play at the last second.

“If you make a decision to go for it, go for it, and if you make a decision you can’t get it, you definitely want to peel off and play it on a hop,” Scioscia said. “Jeff just looked a little indecisive.”

Washburn looked dominant after giving up three runs in the first two innings. He got himself into trouble in the second by issuing a leadoff walk to Tom Wilson, who moved to third on Josh Phelps’ double down the left-field line and scored on Hudson’s single. Phelps scored on a groundout by Dave Berg.

Washburn and Scioscia said the walk to Wilson was the biggest factor in the pitcher’s defeat but Molina disagreed.

“He walked a guy, but you have to come back strong and get the other guys,” Molina said. “It’s not like you give up a walk and you can’t get the other guys out.”

Halladay, meanwhile, was just hitting his stride in the second after giving up a leadoff home run to Troy Glaus short of the rock formation in left-center.

Halladay struck out six while issuing no walks and allowing only one leadoff hitter on base, in the eighth.

“He was hitting spots very well, and when he’s doing that you can only go up there and try to fight some pitches off and hope you get a pitch you can hit,” Scioscia said. “In some situations we did, but through the first four or five innings, he didn’t make many mistakes at all.

“When a guy’s locked in like that, you keep battling and you keep focused and you keep going up there working every pitch and every count.”