Another Loss for the Angels

Darin Erstad summoned his teammates to a meeting before Wednesday’s game, but one declined the invitation. Meanwhile, Kelvim Escobar wondered whether the Angels could catch up in the wild-card race.

The Angels lost, again, and it’s difficult to imagine them persuading Randy Johnson -- or anyone else -- that they are bona fide World Series contenders.

The spring of promise is rapidly collapsing into a summer of disappointment. The Angels -- in third place in the American League West and in fourth place in the wild-card standings -- lost their fourth consecutive game Wednesday, this one, 3-2, to the Texas Rangers.

The Angels have lost four games in the standings to the first-place Rangers in six days. They’re 49-45, the same record they had after 94 games last year, when they finished 18 games out of a playoff spot.

They’re a season-high six games out of first place this year, so the wild card might offer salvation.

“It’s going to be tough,” Escobar said.

“You’ve got Boston and Oakland, and they’re good teams. We have to play more consistently if we want to make a run at the playoffs.”

Escobar did his part Wednesday, striking out six of the first nine hitters and giving up five hits over 6 2/3 innings.

With the score tied 2-2, with two out and one on in the seventh inning, the Angels played their trump card in All-Star Francisco Rodriguez.

Michael Young promptly hit Rodriguez’s second pitch for a game-winning double, saddling Escobar (5-7) with the defeat.

His 3.95 earned-run average is the lowest among Angel starters, but, for the 10th time in his last 13 starts, the Angels failed to score more than three runs.

“I’m human,” Escobar said.

“I really want to win -- not only for me, but for the team. The way I’m throwing, I think I deserve better, but that’s not the way this game is.”

As the Angels opened a stretch of 12 games within the AL West -- including five against Texas -- Erstad called a players-only meeting Wednesday afternoon to remind everyone of the urgency of playing better.

Jose Guillen said he did not attend.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “I’m just trying to do my job. The meeting isn’t going to mean anything. I’m just here to win.”

On the heels of two disheartening losses to the Cleveland Indians, Erstad said he felt the time had come for a meeting.

“I think it was time for something to be said,” Jarrod Washburn said. “It was good timing on his part.”

No one suggested the issue was a lack of effort, just mounting frustration with the inconsistency seemingly incompatible with the talent on hand. Escobar said he believed the Angels were a team superior to the Rangers.

“On paper, we’ve got a better team,” he said. “But it’s not about looks. It’s about going out there and doing it.”

Said Erstad: “We play good for a couple of days, then we stub our toe for a couple of days.

“We haven’t been able to string anything together.”

With the exception of third baseman Troy Glaus, the injured players have returned. The Angels cut utility infielder Shane Halter on Wednesday, and poor results amid high expectations often lead to changes far more significant.

Said Washburn: “If we keep playing like this, it’s going to slip away. Let’s turn it around and play like we’re capable of.

“We have too much talent to be a third-place team.”