Angels’ Butcher Can’t Get It Done This Time

Mike Butcher earned the nickname “Vulture” this season for the way he has swooped into close games, retired a batter or two and sat back and watched his teammates rally to give him the victory.

Wednesday night, the Angel reliever got a taste of Vulture Shock.

Relieving Russ Springer with a one-run lead in the seventh, Butcher gave up a bases-empty home run to No. 9 hitter Pat Meares and a three-run homer to Scott Leius as the Minnesota Twins rallied for an 8-5 victory before a paid crowd of 13,464 in Anaheim Stadium.

It marked the first loss of the season for Butcher (5-1) and prevented him from becoming the first pitcher in Angel history to open a season with a 6-0 record.

“Hey, you can’t be perfect,” Butcher said. “It was one of those days where you don’t have anything, and you hope and pray they hit it at someone, and they didn’t.”

Springer, battling to remain in the major leagues, gave the Angels six solid innings, but his pitch count hit 100 and Manager Marcel Lachemann, knowing Springer’s penchant for allowing the long ball, went to his bullpen with a 4-3 lead.

The tandem of set-up man Troy Percival and closer Lee Smith has been the usual late-inning answer, but Lachemann, having used Percival for more than an inning six times this season, has apparently declared the seventh off limits for the rookie right-hander.

“If I have to bring Troy in during the seventh inning, by the time August comes he’ll be ready to go home,” Lachemann said. “You need a whole bullpen. Everyone has to do their part down there for it to work, but they didn’t tonight.”

The Angels tried their best to take Butcher off the hook. They loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the seventh but managed only one run on Chili Davis’ double-play ball. Pinch-hitter Rex Hudler flied to center to end the inning.

Minnesota, which has given up the most home runs in the major leagues (79), extended its lead to 8-5 on Jerald Clark’s bases-empty shot to center off reliever Bob Patterson in the eighth.

Gary DiSarcina and Tony Phillips, who was 5 for 5, each singled with two outs in the eighth, but Jim Edmonds, who had two hits and three runs batted in, struck out. Rick Aguilera pitched a scoreless ninth for his ninth save.

The loss left Lachemann with at least two perplexing questions:

--What to do with Springer?

Brian Anderson, who made his last rehabilitation start for Class-A Lake Elsinore Wednesday night, will replace Springer in the rotation Monday. But Springer may have saved himself from a demotion to triple-A Vancouver.

The right-hander, who gave up four home runs in last Friday’s loss at Baltimore, allowed eight hits, three runs (two earned) and struck out a career-high seven.

His control was excellent--he walked none--and he mixed his pitches well enough to catch four Twins looking at called Strike 3.

“Brian is going to pitch, but there’s plenty of room on this staff for people who are going to get people out,” Lachemann said.

--What to do with Phillips?

The versatile Phillips again started at third base Wednesday, giving rookie Garret Anderson another start in left field, but the game may have dampened any thoughts Lachemann has of making that a permanent move.

Anderson, whose three-run homer propelled the Angels to victory Tuesday night, went hitless in three at-bats, and Phillips showed he’s no Brooks Robinson at third.

Phillips couldn’t handle Pedro Munoz’s high hopper in the first inning, booting it for an error that helped the Twins score an unearned run, and he made a low throw on Kirby Puckett’s fifth-inning grounder that J.T. Snow had to dig out at first.

But Phillips handled just about everything Minnesota starter Scott Erickson had to offer, doubling and scoring in the first inning, singling home a run in the second, doubling in the fourth and singling and scoring in the seventh.

He singled off Dave Stevens in the eighth for his first five-hit game since May 16, 1986 at Baltimore.