Angels Aren’t Splendid Splitters

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia bolted from the dugout, barking at home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.

This was about as much passion as an Angel showed on the field Saturday, and it came after back-to-back called strikeouts ended a long day’s journey into night for Angel batters.

The Angels gained a split in a doubleheader, thanks to their rock-solid bullpen and timely hitting in the first game. But the 4-2 victory was followed by a 3-2 defeat in front of an announced 33,380 in Comerica Park that demonstrated that good pitching could be beaten by its own team’s bad hitting.

That the Angels remain atop the AL West has been the work of their pitchers, particularly a bullpen that threw four shutout innings in the rain-plagued first game. Brendan Donnelly went two innings and earned the victory. Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez finished up, with Rodriguez getting his 10th save.

The bullpen crew never got a chance in the second game. The Tigers parlayed home runs by Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge off Jarrod Washburn into a 3-0 lead that was more than the Angels’ anemic offense (.204 in May) could overcome.

That frustration seemed to boil over when Steve Finley and Dallas McPherson were called out on strikes to end the second game. Both expressed their displeasure with the calls. Wendelstedt followed, and woofed back, bringing Scioscia out of the dugout and into the argument.

“What I didn’t like was that he stalked them back to the dugout,” Scioscia said. “Let them have their say and let them keep going.”

Scioscia might have bigger things to worry about. The Angels have scored 16 runs in losing five of seven games.

The Angels had the highest team batting average in the American League last season, but they began Saturday with the fourth-worst team average in baseball, which includes 16 National League teams that allow pitchers to hit.

“Those guys are too good to have this last much longer,” said Washburn (2-2), who gave up three runs in seven innings. “Every guy in that lineup, one through nine, can hurt you. I wouldn’t want to pitch against them.”

Tiger pitchers may have a different opinion.

Jeremy Bonderman and Mike Maroth limited the Angels to one run in eight innings during back-to-back victories in Anaheim last weekend. Both had strong outings Saturday. Maroth (4-2) gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings. The most difficult thing Bonderman seemed to face in the first game was the weather.

Bonderman struck out the side in the first and gave up only two hits through five innings. Then came the rain.

The Angels managed three sixth-inning hits in a near downpour. Jeff DaVanon singled and Darin Erstad followed with a run-scoring double. With two outs, Garret Anderson slapped a single to tie the score, 2-2.

In the bottom of the inning, the game was stopped. Bonderman, who had seven strikeouts, did not return after the 39-minute rain delay.

“Maybe the rain did something we weren’t able to do against him,” Scioscia said.

The Angels took the lead on singles by McPherson, Adam Kennedy and DaVanon. Only Kennedy’s left the infield. DaVanon’s suicide squeeze bunt scored McPherson. Moments later, a passed ball by gold glove catcher Ivan Rodriguez allowed Kennedy to score.

“We did some good situational hitting,” Scioscia said. “That can give us a chance to manufacture runs until we get some better at-bats, which has started to happen. We just need to relax and start hitting like we know we can.”

When that will happen is unknown.

“I think there is too much emphasis put on the short term,” said Anderson, who had three hits in the doubleheader.

Still, that has left more pressure on the pitching staff.

Monroe gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the second game by lifting a fly ball over the left-field fence in the second.

The Angels had runners on second and third with one out in the third but could not get either home. Monroe made a shoestring catch on Chone Figgins’ short fly and McPherson was caught halfway to home and had to retreat to third. Erstad hit a comebacker to Maroth for the third out.

“As a staff, we’re not concerned,” Washburn said. “We’re just trying to pick up some wins, because they are going to do that for us when we’re not doing too well.”