Angels’ Defense Drops Ball

For all his awe-inspiring skills -- the power, the bat speed, a cannon for a throwing arm, an almost freakish ability to crush pitches outside the strike zone -- there is one thing Vladimir Guerrero does not do very well on a baseball field.

For whatever reason, Guerrero has trouble catching fly balls after long runs. His Achilles’ heel was exposed at a most inopportune time Saturday for the Angels.

With the score tied, 2-2, runners on second and third and two out in the sixth inning, the Angels right fielder, after a sprint of about 75 yards, caught up to Ronnie Belliard’s flare tailing toward the right-field line.

But the ball clanged off the heel of Guerrero’s glove for a two-run error, opening the door for an eight-run rally that propelled the Cleveland Indians to a 14-2 victory in Jacobs Field.

Aaron Boone followed Guerrero’s error with an RBI double, a pair of Kelvim Escobar walks loaded the bases, and shortstop Orlando Cabrera’s fielding error led to another Indians run.

Cleveland cleanup batter Travis Hafner -- nicknamed “Pronk” because when he was young, a scout considered him half-project, half-donkey -- then blasted a 421-foot grand slam to center off reliever Brendan Donnelly, Hafner’s 15th homer and third slam of the season, to seal the Angels’ third loss in 10 games.

All eight Cleveland runs in the sixth were unearned.

“Those plays are always tough,” Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy said of the Guerrero error. “You have a bead on it, you’re running, and the ball is running away from you. It’s a tough read. It’s one of those plays that if you make it, it’s a great play; if you don’t, it’s a play you should have made.”

Escobar had recovered from a 31-pitch first inning to keep the Angels close through five, and the Angels, shut out by Indians left-hander Cliff Lee for five innings, tied the score in the sixth. Two-out singles by Chone Figgins and Cabrera were followed by Garret Anderson’s two-run double, which made it 2-2.

Guerrero was walked intentionally, and Lee hit Tim Salmon with a pitch to load the bases, but Kendry Morales grounded to second to end the inning.

Escobar struck out Hafner to open the bottom of the sixth, and after singles by Victor Martinez and Ben Broussard, Casey Blake grounded to short for the second out, with the runners advancing.

Belliard then hit his flare to right, and Guerrero, who dropped a fly ball in shallow right-center after a long run in the seventh inning of an 8-4 loss to Toronto on May 18, could not make the play.

Salmon, the erstwhile outfielder who has played his share of games in Jacobs Field, said there’s more glare in right field during the day, and there’s not much room in front of the wall in foul territory.

“I’ve had a couple of balls go down that way,” Salmon said, “and you’re not real confident about making those plays.”

Still, as Manager Mike Scioscia said, “It was a ball Vlad got to and should have caught. He was battling some elements, he did a good job getting to it, and it hit off his glove. I think if you hit the same ball again, Vlad would catch it.”

After the error, as Kennedy said, “The wheels came off.”

The Indians, for good measure, pounded struggling reliever J.C. Romero for four more runs -- three earned -- in the eighth.

“It looked like we were one pitch away from getting out of a jam in the sixth, and they kept it going,” Scioscia said. “I know it sounds funny to say it, but that game was closer than the score would indicate.”