Angel Bullpen Provides Relief for Royals, 12-7

Chili Davis started mulling over the idea Monday afternoon, gave it more thought during the game, and by the time the night ended, wondered perhaps if he should hasten his retirement plans.

Davis, 34, watching perhaps the finest season of his career being ruined by the inept performance of the Angel pitching staff, decided he likely will retire within two years.

And that decision was made before he snapped the bat over his knee during the game, and stormed out of the clubhouse after the Kansas City Royals’ 12-7 victory over the Angels at Kauffman Stadium.

“Two years, and I’m gone,” Davis said. “And really, I don’t know if I even want to play two more years.

“It’s not like I need this game. And the game doesn’t need me.”

If the Angels (26-38) keep playing like they are these days, losing for the 12th time in the last 15 games, Davis might have a lot of company following him out of the door.

“It’s frustrating, man,” Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “Losing gets to you. When you’re in a losing streak like we are, everything is magnified.

“The weight gets so heavy on your shoulders, you feel like you’re going to snap.”

The Angels are on pace to finish with the worst record in franchise history. Their only savior may be a players’ strike that could wipe out the last half of this season.

“Ain’t nobody no dummy in here,” said Angel left fielder Dwight Smith, “we’re scoring the runs, but we’re not getting the pitching.

“When you score six, seven, eight, nine runs a game like we are, you’ve got to win those ballgames.”

Indeed. The Angels produced 13 hits, right fielder Tim Salmon had a career-high-equalling five runs batted in, third baseman Spike Owen had four hits, but it was all for naught.

The Angels, leading 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh with Mark Langston pitching, yielded a run in the seventh, and self-destructed in the eighth.

The Royals (32-29), utilizing the offensive exploits of a couple of former Angels, scored a season-high seven runs in the eighth on a two-run single by Gary Gaetti and a pinch-hit grand slam by Hubie Brooks off reliever Bob Patterson. It was the first pinch-hit grand slam by a Royal in the 22-year history of Kauffman Stadium.

Yet, considering the Angels’ season, it perhaps was only fitting that they surrendered the seven runs by yielding three hits, three walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch.

“We just can’t waste six or seven runs like that,” said Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann, whose 53rd birthday was ruined.

Said Langston, who yielded seven hits and six earned runs in seven innings: “I don’t feel like I did my job at all. When you get (seven) runs, I’ve got to win those games.”

Although the Angels have scored 319 runs and are on a pace to produce their second-largest total in franchise history, the team has a 5.46 earned-run average. No team in Angel history has yielded higher than a 4.52 ERA, and the effect is quite obvious.

The Angels are 17-6 when they allow four or fewer runs; 9-32 when the opposition scores at least five runs.

Davis went hitless in five at-bats Monday, lowering his average to a season-low .335. A switch-hitter, Davis was so frustrated at one point that he batted right-handed against right-handed reliever Hipolito Pichardo, and grounded out.

“I can see why (Ryne) Sandberg did what he did,” Davis said. “The man showed me something right there. He was asking, ‘Do I want the money, or do I want peace of mind?’ He felt like he wasn’t enjoying the game any more.

“A lot of guys will stay around just for the money, but he knew it wasn’t fair to him or his family. This game controls you. This game controls your life. And you get tired of being controlled.”