Angels Finally Make Up Ground

There is a growing sentiment among the more rational and realistic followers of the Angels -- yes, there are a few -- that the team might be better off in the long run if it didn’t make the playoffs this season.

That way, owner Arte Moreno and General Manager Bill Stoneman would be forced to take a cold, hard look at the club so they could address its shortcomings without being clouded by a July hot streak, pressured by trade deadlines or influenced by emotional ties to a playoff team that is fundamentally flawed.

The Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-2, in Comerica Park on Saturday night when Chone Figgins ended an 0-for-18 skid with a three-run triple in the 10th inning and Orlando Cabrera hit two-run home run.

The Angels cut into Oakland’s American League West lead for the first time in 11 days, pulling to within 7 1/2 games of the A’s, but it seems only a matter of time before they turn their attention to 2007 and beyond, and ask themselves a series of questions:

* Is Figgins the long-term answer in the leadoff spot? Despite his slump-busting hit Saturday, his average fell to .258, his on-base percentage dropped to .328, he hits too many fly balls and strikes out too much.

* Is Cabrera really a No. 3 hitter? The shortstop has had a nice season, batting .287 with 39 doubles, 86 runs and 65 runs batted in, but he doesn’t seem suited for a spot usually reserved for a team’s best all-around hitter.

* Can the Angels go a third consecutive season with virtually no power from the corner infield spots? Third baseman Maicer Izturis is batting .297 and helped fuel the Angels’ run in July but has only five home runs and has struggled defensively. Izturis and first baseman Robb Quinlan, who has been a force against left-handers, seem more suited to utility roles.

* What can the Angels expect from Bartolo Colon? Will he recover from a torn rotator cuff and regain his 2005 Cy Young Award-winning, power-pitching form, or will he evolve into a crafty right-hander, forcing the Angels to pursue a starter this winter?

* And, of course, the biggest question: Can this team contend for a World Series title without adding another middle-of-the-order slugger, the Angels’ most glaring need for two years despite a trip to the AL championship series in October?

“We need a deeper lineup, a deeper bench, and a deeper pitching staff,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “You have to always be in a position, particularly with your regulars, to absorb guys who are struggling or hurt. Early on, we didn’t have the depth to overcome some things.”

Injuries to Colon, Juan Rivera, Izturis, Darin Erstad and Casey Kotchman, and the struggles of Jeff Mathis and Jeff Weaver, put a drain on the Angels early -- they had a 17-28 record on May 22.

Rivera, Izturis and pitcher John Lackey got hot in July to spark a 19-7 month that got the Angels into contention -- they spent five days (July 24-28) in first place -- but they couldn’t keep pace with the torrid A’s in August.

In hindsight, could the Angels’ run in July have given Stoneman the false impression the team had everything it needed to contend for a championship? Stoneman inquired about sluggers Miguel Tejada, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee and Bobby Abreu but failed to pull the trigger on a deal.

“I don’t see it that way, because if there was a guy who could provide depth, and all it would have cost us is minor league talent, we would have done it,” Scioscia said. “There weren’t many guys out there, and a lot of the deals would have created holes in the major league club and not moved us forward.”

The Angels will have all winter, their heartstrings untouched by the emotions of the season, to peruse a free-agent market that will feature Soriano and Lee as well as pitchers Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt, and a trade market that could include center fielders Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter.

“To make deals, you need two parties to come together,” Scioscia said. “That’s probably easier to facilitate over the winter.”

ANGELS REPORT, BOX SCORE, D6

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Young guns

Rookie pitchers Joe Saunders of the Angels and Justin Verlander of Detroit dominated Saturday’s game, before the Angels won in extra innings. The records of some of the top rookie starting pitchers in 2006:

*--* Pitcher, Team IP W-L SO ERA Chad Billingsley, Dodgers 80.1 5-3 53 3.02 Matt Cain, San Francisco 157.2 11-9 151 4.11 Josh Johnson, Florida 147.1 12-6 129 2.99 Jon Lester, Boston 81.1 7-2 60 4.76 Francisco Liriano, Minnesota 119.0 12-3 142 2.19 Ricky Nolasco, Florida 121.1 11-9 81 4.75 Scott Olsen, Florida 142.1 11-7 133 4.24 Joe Saunders, Angels 45.0 4-2 31 4.20 Jeremy Sowers, Cleveland 76.1 6-3 30 3.42 Justin Verlander Detroit 164.0 15-7 112 3.27 Jered Weaver, Angels 89.0 9-2 74 2.33

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Source: mlb.com