Angels Thrown for a Loss

The potential tying run rounded third base in the bottom of the ninth inning, Shane Halter cut off a strong but errant throw from the outfield, and the Angel third baseman, in an effort to preserve a victory, spun and fired an accurate relay throw to the plate.

Nobody was home.

That’s how bewildering a night it was for the Angels, who all of a sudden are inventing unusual ways to lose.

After coughing up the game-winning run to Toronto on a botched rundown play Monday night, the Angels allowed the Blue Jays to tie Wednesday night’s game on a relay play gone awry. Gregg Zaun then chopped a bases-loaded infield single to give the Blue Jays a 6-5 victory in front of 14,515 in the SkyDome.

It seemed improbable that the Angels would lose on a night when ace Bartolo Colon rebounded from his five-start slump with a crisp 6 2/3-inning performance, in which the life and location of his fastball returned in force, and closer Troy Percival had the “best stuff I’ve had in a long time.”

But these are the Angels, and anything is possible.

For weeks, they defied logic by forging baseball’s best record despite missing Garret Anderson, Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad, Tim Salmon and Brendan Donnelly for large chunks -- and, in Donnelly’s case, all -- of the season. For the last two games, though, it is the Angel defense that has made no sense.

Percival assumed a 5-4 lead in the ninth Wednesday, and after he got Chris Gomez to bounce out on a 98-mph fastball, Reed Johnson bunted for a single and Frank Menechino singled to right, putting runners on first and second.

Vernon Wells lined a sharp single to left, but with the strong arm of left fielder Jose Guillen, who nailed two runners at the plate last weekend, the Angels thought they had a shot at Johnson.

Guillen’s throw sailed to Halter’s left, and the third baseman, believing the ball would not get to catcher Bengie Molina in a position for a tag, cut the throw off, wheeled and threw to the plate.

But Molina, thinking Guillen’s throw would go through, drifted about 12 feet to the left of the plate in anticipation of a play, leaving the plate vacant when Halter’s throw came in.

Halter was charged with an error, allowing the runners to move to second and third, and Percival, who has three blown saves in his last seven appearances, walked Carlos Delgado intentionally to load the bases.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia went to a five-man infield, bringing Chone Figgins in from center, but Angel shortstop David Eckstein barely got his glove on Zaun’s high chopper, which scored Menechino to give the Blue Jays the first two games of a three-game series.

“As soon as I wheeled and turned, I didn’t have a second to see if the catcher was there,” Halter said. “I tried to save the run. If Bengie was there, with a good throw, we have a chance to get him. That’s what I was banking on.”

Did Halter think he made the right play?

“I’ve got to go for the win there,” he said. “If I rerun the play, I would have eaten the ball and given us a chance to win. I tried to make a play for our closer and shut the door.... Right now, you feel like you’re making the right decisions, and it turns out bad. We’ve lost two games on bizarre plays.”

Percival, who has struggled recently, was just as perplexed. He was locating a lively fastball, and he still gave up four hits and suffered a blown save -- his fourth of the season -- and the loss.

“I was throwing as hard as I have all year with movement,” Percival said. “I’ve lost a few games this year; this time, they took it. They swung the bats better than I pitched.... I’d like to sit here and be irritated at myself for pitching poorly, but I was throwing the pitches I like to throw.”

So was Colon, who hit the corners consistently with a fastball that was 95 mph or above all game. Colon, who was rocked for 24 earned runs in 27 innings of his last five games, gave up four runs and seven hits and struck out seven. He made two mistakes, a fastball that Wells hit for a solo homer in the first and a changeup that Delgado hit for a two-run homer in the sixth.

“I feel good,” Colon said through an interpreter. “I feel like I’m going in the right direction.”

As for the Angels, it’s hard to tell.