Watson Joins List of Ailing

In an effort to recapture the form Allen Watson used to win seven of nine decisions last May and June, Angel pitching Coach Marcel Lachemann and Watson spent several hours this past week studying tapes of the left-hander’s best performances from 1997.

But instead of adding another installment to his highlight video Saturday night, Watson lasted only 2 2/3 innings in a 9-5 loss to Minnesota in front of 31,036 in Edison Field.

And today, Watson will be looking at pictures of an entirely different nature--the inner workings of his sore left elbow, which will be the subject of an MRI test.

“I think Allen is hurt,” Angel Manager Terry Collins said after Watson was tagged for five runs on five hits in the third inning. “He said his arm started bothering him at the beginning of the game, and by the third inning, he couldn’t make any pitches with his curve.”

Collins said he was unaware of Watson’s arm trouble before Saturday night, “but I have a hunch it has been bothering him for more than one night and more than he’s been letting on,” Collins said.

Watson gave up seven runs on 10 hits in three innings of his last start, Monday night’s 11-2 loss to Detroit, and he didn’t fare much better against the Twins, who snapped the Angels’ four-game winning streak.

Watson walked Brent Gates to open the third, and Pat Meares, the Twins’ leadoff batter, followed with a two-run homer to left. Matt Lawton walked and, after Paul Molitor’s popup, Marty Cordova singled to left.

Ron Coomer’s infield single loaded the bases, and Alex Ochoa’s infield single scored a run. Terry Steinbach lined out to short, but Jon Shave, recalled from triple-A Salt Lake City on May 11, knocked a two-run double to left for his first major league RBIs since 1993.

Collins had seen enough. He pulled Watson and replaced him with Shigetoshi Hasegawa, who struck out Brent Gates--the 10th batter of the inning--to end the rally.

By the time the 3-hour, 31-minute game was over, Watson’s record fell to 3- 5, his earned-run average dropped to 7.69, and his stock in the eyes of the Angels, who invested $2.9 million in Watson this winter and made him the fourth-highest player on the Angel roster, was following a similar course.

“Allen knows he need him to pitch well, and he went out there tonight and tried to give us some innings,” Collins said. “You appreciate the fact that he tried to do that, but it just wasn’t there.”

Neither was that vicious Angel offense, which had combined for 22 runs on 27 hits in the previous two games. Darin Erstad had another strong game, with a two-run double in the third inning and an RBI double in the seventh, and rookie second baseman Justin Baughman continued to blossom, with three singles, a run and an RBI.

But Erstad, who ranks second in the American League with 30 extra-base hits, and Baughman accounted for five of the Angels’ eight hits, and Twins relievers Mike Trombley and Greg Swindell dashed any hopes of an Angel comeback in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Ochoa had three hits to lead Minnesota’s 14-hit attack, and the Twins added runs off Angel relievers Rich DeLucia in the sixth and Pep Harris in the ninth.

The loss ended what had to be an exasperating week for the Angels. They won four straight from Tuesday through Friday, three against the Oakland A’s and one against the Twins, and didn’t gain a game on first-place Texas, which won its sixth in a row Saturday night.

Then the Angels lose Saturday night for the first time in five days, and they drop another game to the Rangers, who are now six ahead of the Angels in the American League West.

“You just have to hope we can stay close until they cool off,” the Angels’ Dave Hollins said. “That’s what was tough about the last few games. You think you’ll gain a game or two when you win four straight, but they keep coming from behind to win. No lead is safe against them.”