Holes Seem Glaring as Angels Lose, 4-1

They lead the American League West by two games, and even after Wednesday night’s 4-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Angels are 18 games over .500 in mid-August, their 69-51 record better than all but three other teams.

So, what’s wrong with this picture?

Well, for starters, left fielder and No. 5 hitter Garret Anderson is out indefinitely because of a lower-back injury, and third baseman Dallas McPherson, one of the few Angels who could provide a power threat in an ever-thinning lineup, could be out for the season because of a hip injury.

Steve Finley appears to have lost his power stroke completely, the 40-year-old center fielder with a .218 average looking much closer to retirement than the spry slugger who hit 36 home runs for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Dodgers last season.

The once-vaunted bullpen has nine blown saves in 19 games and goes just three-deep in pitchers Manager Mike Scioscia trusts with small leads late in games.

And once-dominant closer Francisco Rodriguez is having control problems that have led to two losses and three blown saves in his last eight games.

Is this any way to start a four-game series against the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, who have won 15 of 19 games going into tonight’s game in Angel Stadium?

“I don’t think anyone thought this was going to be easy, but I don’t sense anyone in here panicking,” said pitcher Jarrod Washburn, who threw six serviceable innings Wednesday night, giving up three runs and eight hits.

“I still feel we have the talent to get it done. It’s a matter of us doing the job. There are probably a few guys not happy with the way their seasons are going, but we’re all capable. I’m not worried

They had a chance to get back into Wednesday night’s game when they loaded the bases with none out in the sixth inning on singles by Orlando Cabrera, Darin Erstad and Vladimir Guerrero.

But Bengie Molina, who has replaced Anderson in the all-important fifth spot -- he who hits behind Vladdy must protect Vladdy -- lined out to second, and rookie Casey Kotchman grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning, as the Blue Jays preserved a 3-1 lead.

Toronto did not intentionally walk Guerrero on Wednesday, but the Angel slugger got very little in the way of choice pitches to hit. With two on in the sixth, Toronto starter Josh Towers threw his first pitch a foot outside and jammed Guerrero with a second pitch that Guerrero fisted into left for a single.

With Anderson in the lineup, opposing pitchers can’t afford to be too careful with Guerrero.

“Garret is pivotal to the club -- he’s very important to the lineup,” Scioscia said. “While teams sometimes pitch away from Garret, Vlad always got his pitches, and we had the offensive depth we needed. Hopefully, he’ll be back short-term. We need him to reestablish the depth in our lineup. We have a lot of confidence in the guys behind Vlad, but when you talk about Garret, it’s a whole different package he brings.”

Toronto shortstop Russ Adams, who replaced the injured Aaron Hill (leg cramps) in the fourth, had two singles and a run-scoring double, but Wednesday was more of a glove story for the Blue Jays.

Toronto made four diving catches in the first three innings, including center fielder Vernon Wells’ spectacular grab of Maicer Izturis’ drive to the right-center field gap with two on and none out in the second.

“That ball had gapper written all over it,” Scioscia said. “They played great defense.”

The Angels countered with two great plays of their own, when Izturis made a diving stop of Gregg Zaun’s fourth-inning grounder to start a double play and Guerrero turned what appeared to be an Alex Rios fifth-inning single into a fielder’s choice, when the right fielder gunned down Frank Menechino at second.

But the Angels didn’t have enough firepower to stick with the Blue Jays, who won five of six games from the Angels this season.

“We’re not concerned with who we don’t have, who’s injured,” Erstad said. “We just step on the field, lay it on the line every day, and try to find a way to win.”