No Panic Button for Angels

By Mike DiGiovanna

July 14, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS —

When the New York Yankees lose four consecutive games, the Boss rips the team, high-ranking executives are called to his office in Tampa, Fla., to determine who should get fired, and a new wave of trade rumors hits the tabloids.

When the Angels lose four consecutive games, no one -- from the players, to the manager and coaches, to the general manager and owner -- gets whipped into that frenzied New York state of mind.

Cruising along with a huge lead in the American League West, the Angels hit a pothole last week when they were swept in four games by the last-place Seattle Mariners just before the All-Star break. That cut the Angels’ lead over Texas from 8 1/2 to five games.

The path ahead seems treacherous too, starting here tonight with a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins, who lead the AL wild-card race. Then the Angels return home to play the surging Oakland Athletics and the enigmatic but always dangerous Yankees.

Of the Angels’ first 42 games after the break, 29 are against the AL East, which has three teams above .500.

There is no sense of panic in the clubhouse, however, and no sense of urgency in the front office to make a deal before the non-waiver trade deadline July 31.

“You can’t overreact to two, three or four games, whether they’re good or bad,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “We reeled off eight wins in a row [in late June] and that didn’t cause us to change our perception of the team, either. You’re not going to break it up after a few losses. You have to look at the big picture.”

In that picture is an Angel team that built a comfortable lead even though nine front-line players -- Vladimir Guerrero, Kelvim Escobar, Francisco Rodriguez, Steve Finley, Orlando Cabrera, Adam Kennedy, Bengie Molina, Dallas McPherson and Tim Salmon -- spent time on the disabled list.

The pitching rotation ranks second in the league with a 3.91 earned-run average and has provided quality starts -- six innings or more, three earned runs or fewer -- in 50 of 88 games.

The back end of the bullpen -- Rodriguez, Scot Shields and Brendan Donnelly -- has helped the Angels go 40-5 in games they lead after seven innings.

There have been significant contributions from Guerrero (.335, 16 home runs, 51 runs batted in), Garret Anderson (.304, 11 homers, 65 RBIs), Darin Erstad (.289, 22 doubles, 61 runs), Chone Figgins (.281, 60 runs, 26 stolen bases), Molina (.311, 37 RBIs) and Kennedy (.347).

And key contributions from the bench. Figgins, the utility player, has started at six positions. Shortstop Maicer Izturis (.298, superb defense in 34 games), outfielder Juan Rivera (seven homers, 25 RBIs in 155 at-bats) and catcher Jose Molina (outstanding defense) have stepped up.

“Our depth has been the strength of the club,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Those [bench] guys are really the reason why we’ve kept our heads above water.”

The Angels need to reestablish that depth, and they’ll take one step forward when Finley is activated today and another when Cabrera is activated, probably next week.

When McPherson returns from a hip injury in the last week of July, the lineup should be at full strength, and Escobar is expected to return from elbow surgery by early September.

The Angels seem good enough to win the West, but are they good enough to beat the Twins, Chicago White Sox, Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, in the playoffs? Do the Angels have what they need to win a World Series?

“Yeah, I really think we do, especially when you project Escobar coming back, a good rotation and a good bullpen,” Stoneman said. “We should be a good offensive club, and we’re a real good defensive club. It’s a matter of performing.”

Several Angels, notably Cabrera (.243, 22 RBIs), Finley (.225) and McPherson (.244), will need to hit more consistently in the second half.

And despite their five-game lead, the Angels have holes. They have done little to offset the power loss of Troy Glaus and Jose Guillen; the quality and consistency of the bullpen fall off dramatically after Rodriguez, Shields and Donnelly, and they’ve received minimal production at designated hitter with a .250 batting average, four home runs and 29 RBIs.

The rotation also faltered before the break, going 1-5 with a 7.45 ERA in the Angels’ last seven games.

“We hit a bump in the road,” Scioscia said Sunday. “There’s no reason to take the whole truck apart.”

But if the Angels decide to replace a few parts, there is no shortage of spares. Among potential DHs, aging New York Met catcher Mike Piazza could probably be had for a mid-level prospect, and Kansas City’s Mike Sweeney could be acquired, though at a steeper price.

If Finley shows no progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury, center fielder Mike Cameron of the Mets is a possibility. Among the relievers on the trading block are Tampa Bay’s Danys Baez, Kansas City left-hander Jeremy Affeldt and possibly Seattle lefty Eddie Guardado.

Stoneman has a deep and talented farm system to bargain with, but he likes to hoard his prospects.

“There’s always a desire to do something, but in terms of a pressing need, I don’t perceive that,” he said. “If something will make us better, we’ll look at it.”

Last July, the Angels pursued former Arizona ace Randy Johnson but refused to part with the four players, including Shields and two of the Angels’ three top prospects, the Diamondbacks wanted.

With Bartolo Colon performing more like a No. 1 this season and no dominant starters available, the Angels aren’t expected to target a starting pitcher.

But if the Angels don’t do anything to bolster the lineup, no one in the clubhouse will be pointing fingers at the front office.

“In the past, there were some holes some guys thought could have been filled and weren’t,” pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. “But if there was disappointment in the past, there definitely won’t be this season because we’re deeper and more talented than we’ve ever been. I think we match up well with anyone, as long as we stay healthy and play our game.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The second half

The Angels’ schedule after the All-Star break:

at Minnesota, Today-Sunday

* vs. Oakland, Monday-Wednesday

* vs. New York, July 21, 22, 23, 24

* at Toronto, July 26, 27, 28

* at New York, July 29, 30, 31

* vs. Baltimore, Aug. 2, 3, 4

* vs. Tampa Bay, Aug. 5, 6, 7

* at Oakland, Aug. 9, 10, 11

* at Seattle, Aug. 12, 13, 14