Angels get a steal, but season like this might be a crime

I don’t believe what I just saw.

Jose Molina stole home.

In a year of the improbable, the impossible has happened.

Jose Molina stole home.

If the slowest cleats in organized baseball can steal a run, then I can steal Kirk Gibson sound bites, no?

All words escaped me Thursday in the fourth inning of the Angels’ 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians, and for more reasons than that giant red jersey tumbling across home plate.

It’s not only that Molina, with seven stolen bases in six major league seasons, swiped home.

It’s that the Angels would be so desperate for runs they would actually ask Molina to swipe home.

“Right now, we’re a team that needs to do stuff like this,” bench coach Ron Roenicke said.

Here’s hoping owner Arte Moreno was watching, and here’s hoping he was understanding.

In May, the play was fun. In October, that play could be fatal.

If the Angels have to rely on Jose Molina’s legs, someone should examine their heads.

“If we stay stuck in the mud like last year, it’s going to be tough,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Fourth inning, Molina on third, Reggie Willits on first, Orlando Cabrera batting, Scioscia orders a hit-and-run.

With Indians third baseman Casey Blake wandering off the bag, third base coach Dino Ebel leans into Molina’s ear.

“If he misses the pitch and they throw to second, run home,” he whispers.

This is the same Molina who, the previous inning, had been held on third base on a one-out fly to medium right field, who had been held at third on Willits’ single.

That whisper soon becomes 33,000 screams, however, as Molina creates 90 feet worth of surprises.

The first surprise being, Molina was not surprised.

“We try all kinds of stuff around here,” he said, shrugging. “You get used to it.”

And why not?

“C’mon, if you were the Indians and you saw Jose Molina on third base, would you think he was stealing home?” Roenicke said.

The second surprise was, when Cabrera didn’t hit the pitch and catcher Victor Martinez actually did throw to second base, Molina did not hesitate or panic. “Just following orders,” Molina said.

The third surprise was that Molina actually beat the throw home from stunned second baseman Mike Rouse.

Said a wide-eyed Cabrera: “You know, he actually had a pretty good slide.”

Said Scioscia: “It’s one thing to talk about plays on a chalkboard, but executing those plays on the field is what separates teams.”

What separates the Angels has been their ability to remain in first place despite consistently taking risks such as this.

Granted, Molina’s run was the Angels’ sixth of the game against Jeremy Sowers and his 5.87 ERA, but his afternoon was indicative of the Angels’ chronic offensive problems.

Molina may have been the first catcher in baseball history to catch a shutout and steal home in the same game.

And if he doesn’t do both, who knows what happens?

“We need for some things to fall into place, and if they don’t, it’s going to be tough,” Scioscia said. “But I really see those things as a probability.”

As always, he is being openly optimistic, but he knows.

It’s going to be hard to step into a World Series if hobbled by a lineup that ranks 13th out of 14 American League teams in home runs, 11th in runs scored, tied for 10th in total bases.

Only one team has drawn fewer walks. Nobody has hit into more double plays.

And, yes, it’s true, the franchise identified by its rally monkey has yet to rally to victory from a deficit of more than two runs.

Think about that one.

If you get them down by three runs, game over.

And if you walk Vladimir Guerrero, they’re cooked.

Almost as surprising as Molina’s steal was Robb Quinlan’s two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded in the third inning.

It was the first time in nine chances this season that the Angel batting after an intentional walk to Guerrero has actually gotten a hit.

Other firsts Thursday included Chone Figgins’ first hit in his last 13 at-bats, and the first indication that the Angels may have made a mistake in counting consistently on struggling Shea Hillenbrand, who was benched against a left-hander despite a .338 average against lefties last season.

The loyal Angels fans, who showered shutout-tossing Kelvim Escobar with several standing ovations, deserve another first.

How about Arte Moreno’s administration finally gathering the courage to trade a young pitcher for a pennant?

The familiar story has become a desperate one. The media nagging has become the fans’ mandate.

The window on the greatness that is Vladimir Guerrero is closing. Baseball’s best bullpen is being wasted. Baseball’s toughest starters are being trivialized.

The thrill over the Angel Stadium fan experience is fading. The buzz that once tugged at the cuffs of Dodger Stadium is dying.

The heart tugs have evolved into heartbreaks, the charm has been slowly submerged under a tide of callousness, the whole thing is just silly.

The Angels have the best stable of young arms in baseball. Could they please trade one of them for a power hitter already?

This is the point where the column usually rips Bill Stoneman, but this issue has become bigger than Stoneman. More than any name change or price reduction or fan accommodation, this issue has become the legacy of owner Moreno.

It’s his team. It’s his blame.

“Me stealing home, this is the way we have to play,” Jose Molina said with a smile.

Well, it shouldn’t be.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.