Angels Miss Their Chance

So this is how it’s going to be until the bitter end, the Angel pitching staff, especially the rotation, carrying a disproportionate share of the burden while the offense sleep-walks its way through large chunks of the season.

All year long, Manager Mike Scioscia has preached the need for offensive continuity, for some kind of attack consistent enough to support the team’s superb starting pitching, but it’s mid-September, the Angels are still searching, and there are few signs they’re even getting warm.

Tuesday night, the Angels suffered perhaps their biggest offensive indignity of the season, loading the bases against the Seattle Mariners with no one out in the top of the ninth inning of a tie game and failing to score.

Then in the bottom of the ninth, with the Angels on the verge of a Houdini-like escape act of their own, Seattle designated hitter Greg Dobbs lined a two-out, run-scoring single off reliever Scot Shields, handing the Angels a 2-1 defeat, their seventh walk-off loss since the All-Star break.

Oakland lost to Cleveland earlier in the day, so the Angels maintained their one-game lead in the American League West with 18 games remaining, but the Angels blew a chance to increase the lead to two games.

“I’ve been around this game a long time, and I’ve had some tough losses,” said Angel pitcher Paul Byrd, who was outstanding again, giving up two runs and eight hits in eight-plus innings. “But this one ranks right up there.”

With the score tied, 1-1, Angel shortstop Orlando Cabrera opened the ninth with a single off Mariner starter Ryan Franklin and took third on Garret Anderson’s ground-rule double to right. Vladimir Guerrero was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Seattle Manager Mike Hargrove summoned soft-serving left-hander George Sherrill to face Darin Erstad, who has delivered numerous clutch hits since 2002 and was batting .300 with runners in scoring position this season.

On a looping, 1-and-1 slider, Erstad hit a cue shot to third baseman Adrian Beltre, who fielded the ball on a hop, stepped on the bag for the force and threw to catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who tagged Cabrera in a rundown for a double play.

Hargrove replaced Sherrill with right-hander J.J. Putz, and Bengie Molina, whose two-out run-scoring single in the seventh inning had pulled the Angels even, grounded to third to end the inning.

“Guys aren’t going to do it all the time,” Scioscia said, “but I’ll take my chances with Ersty any day.”

Seattle center fielder Jeremy Reed opened the bottom of the ninth with a bunt single to second, fooling Byrd, who broke toward third thinking Reed would tap an outside pitch the other way.

Angel closer Francisco Rodriguez and Shields were warm, but Scioscia stuck with Byrd (11-10), who gave up a broken-bat single to right-center to Raul Ibanez, putting runners on first and third.

Shields entered, and Scioscia went to his five-man infield alignment, pulling center fielder Steve Finley for Maicer Izturis, who was stationed at second base, and moving second baseman Adam Kennedy to the shortstop side of the second-base bag.

Cleanup batter Richie Sexson then hit a grounder right to Kennedy, who shoveled the ball to Izturis to start what was officially ruled a 4-8-3 double play, with Reed holding at third.

Adrian Beltre was walked intentionally, and Dobbs spoiled the Angels’ evening with his clutch hit, giving the Mariners wins in the first two games of a three-game series.

The Angels are now 41-35 in games decided by one or two runs, a reflection of their outstanding pitching and spotty hitting. They seemed to find a ray of hope when they scored 22 runs and had 34 hits, including eight home runs, in a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox, but that outburst looks more like a mirage, the result of a hitter’s park and a sagging White Sox pitching staff. The Angels have scored two runs in their last two games.

“It doesn’t matter what you lose by; it’s frustrating,” Erstad said. “We’re obviously pitching fantastic, but our hitting has been hit and miss.”