Angels Sunk by Indians

It’s a little too early to be scoreboard-watching, Angels pitcher John Lackey insisted. The Angels play Oakland seven times in the final 10 games of the season, and the American League West championship “will probably come down to a head-to-head deal,” the right-hander said.

That could be true, but you also don’t want to start that rush to the wire two or three lengths behind. That’s what made Wednesday night’s 4-0 loss to Cleveland, in which Indians sinkerball specialist Jake Westbrook threw a complete-game nine-hitter in Jacobs Field, all the more frustrating for the Angels.

Going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, grounding into three double plays and failing to score despite rapping out seven hits in the first three innings was difficult enough to absorb for the Angels, whose four-game win streak ended.

Adding extra sting was the fact the Angels failed to capitalize on their first chance in a week to gain ground on the A’s, whose six-game win streak ended in a 14-0 loss to Texas, a game many Angels watched in their clubhouse. The Angels remain three games behind Oakland.

“We missed an opportunity, and that made it more frustrating,” second baseman Adam Kennedy said. “Plus, we had played so well the first couple games of this trip. We just didn’t put it together tonight.”

Lackey pitched gamely, giving up four runs -- three earned -- and nine hits in six innings, but lost his second straight August start after going 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA in July and winning AL pitcher of the month honors.

Lackey (10-8) gave up three runs in the second, the last scoring on shortstop Orlando Cabrera’s throwing error, and minimized damage in the fourth, giving up only one run after the Indians loaded the bases with no out.

The Angels peppered Westbrook (9-7) with early jabs but couldn’t deliver any knockout blows and were shut out for the first time since a 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay on June 5.

“We had him on the ropes early but couldn’t get that one hit to break it open,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “John had one rough inning, but if we could have gotten some runs on the board, it might have unfolded a little differently. But give Westbrook credit. He got ground balls, double plays, and they played good defense behind him.”

Sometimes, great defense. Chone Figgins, who feels his current average (.258) would be higher if he wasn’t being robbed of so many hits, thought he was the only Angel being victimized by superb plays.

“I’ve put a lot of guys on web gems,” Figgins said, referring to the ESPN “Baseball Tonight” segment devoted to defense. “I’ve been on there six or seven times in the last two or three weeks.”

Wednesday, Figgins welcomed Garret Anderson and Juan Rivera to his world.

With two on and two out in the first, Anderson lofted a fly to shallow left, where Joe Inglett raced in and made a full-extension diving catch to end the inning.

Rivera opened the fourth with a screaming line drive toward left, but the ball never reached the grass because shortstop Jhonny Peralta made a diving catch.

The other rallies died with less fanfare, Kennedy rolling into a double play after Rivera and Howie Kendrick opened the second with singles, Anderson grounding out with runners on the corners to end the third, and Maicer Izturis grounding into a double play after Jose Molina and Figgins opened the fifth with singles.

Westbrook retired 13 of the last 14 batters, giving up only an eighth-inning walk to Figgins from the fifth inning on. Figgins, of course, was rubbed out on another Izturis double-play grounder.

“Certainly, the opportunities were there if we could have gotten a ball to drop in,” Scioscia said. “Then, when you’re down 4-0, it gives the other pitcher a chance to do what we want our guys to do -- relax, use the zone and change speeds.”