Ortiz Stopped in Start

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia adopted a zero-tolerance policy Tuesday night, pulling Ramon Ortiz after the erratic right-hander gave up four runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings of a 6-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in front of 33,892 at Angel Stadium.

Now the question is: Will Scioscia’s patience with Ortiz be as thin when it comes to setting the Angel rotation in the coming weeks?

Ortiz earned a starting job despite his rocky spring (2-0, 6.66 earned-run average) because Scioscia liked the way he was throwing and thought Ortiz’s track record -- a 44-33 record over the last three seasons -- warranted the final spot over veteran right-hander Aaron Sele.

But in his first three starts of 2004, two losses and a no-decision, Ortiz has been tagged for 15 earned runs and 23 hits, including three home runs, in 10 2/3 innings for a 12.65 ERA.

Scioscia’s confidence in Ortiz -- judging from his quick hook Tuesday night -- seems to be waning, and with Sele and right-hander Kevin Gregg in his bullpen, Scioscia has two ready-and-willing rotation options should he decide to make a change.

“Everyone is aware of those options, but what’s best for our club is to give these guys the opportunity to see what direction they’re going to go,” Scioscia said. “Ramon is going to take the ball again....

“We feel the guys who are struggling in our rotation now are going to be real shining spots for us as the season goes on. We’re going to let it play out until we feel they’re not where they need to be. But it’s far too early for that.”

The Angels gave Ortiz to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Darin Erstad doubled off Ranger starter Kenny Rogers (3-0) and scored on Troy Glaus’ two-out double, the first time in 14 games this season the Angels have scored in the first inning.

But Ortiz, who breezed through a three-up, three-down first, gave the lead right back in the second, as Kevin Mench walked with two outs, Laynce Nix doubled and Gerald Laird singled to left for two runs.

Texas third baseman Hank Blalock doubled to open the third and took third on a wild pitch. Alfonso Soriano hit a broken-bat RBI single to center for a 3-1 lead, and after Soriano was thrown out attempting to steal second, Brad Fullmer lined a full-count fastball into the seats in right-center field for a home run and a 4-1 lead.

Three runs would hardly seem insurmountable to the high-powered Angel offense, but Scioscia didn’t think Ortiz would be able to hold the Rangers, and he came to the mound to pull his starter.

Ortiz didn’t exactly refuse to come out of the game, like Kevin Appier practically did in July when Scioscia yanked the former Angel in the first inning of a game against the New York Yankees, but Ortiz seemed reluctant to exit after making only 47 pitches.

“He was starting to pitch behind in the count and battling himself a bit,” Scioscia said. “There’s a lot of things going through Ramon’s mind right now. He knows the expectations of the team and the pitching staff, and he’s trying to do too much....

“If you know Ramon, you know how much he cares and wants to achieve, but he’s putting pressure on himself. When you add everything up, it was important for us to try to stay in the game at that point, and I didn’t see Ramon taking us in that direction.”

Gregg and Sele did, Gregg relieving Ortiz and giving up one run on two hits and striking out five in 2 2/3 solid innings and Sele giving up one run on two hits in three good innings.

The Angels then rallied with a run in the third on Jose Guillen’s RBI single, but Vladimir Guerrero cost the Angels a run when he was picked off first by Rogers earlier in the inning. Bengie Molina’s sixth-inning homer, which hit the glove of leaping left fielder David Dellucci and bounced into the bullpen, pulled the Angels within 5-3.

But Fullmer’s sacrifice fly in the seventh extended the lead to 6-3, set-up man Jeff Nelson struck out Glaus, Guillen and Molina to end the eighth, and closer Francisco Cordero retired leadoff batter David Eckstein (fly to right), Erstad (strikeout) and Guerrero (grounder to second) with two on to end the ninth for his third save.