Angels’ Trip to Bottom Not Over Yet

Tangible gains are well beyond the Angels’ reach at this point. They are in search of little victories--a strong finish and a little hope during the off-season.

Even those seem to be slipping through their hands.

Tuesday’s 7-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals was all too familiar. It was such a summer rerun that the 18,454 at Edison Field could hardly bring themselves to boo, at least for a while.

“We need the next two months to make up for the bad months we have had,” Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “If the off-season began today, we would have a real bad taste in our mouths.”

Keep the mouthwash handy.

The only thing that went the Angels’ way Tuesday was when Kansas City’s Joe Randa collided with 245-pound first baseman Mo Vaughn in the second inning. It was about the only solid contact an Angel player made.

They managed only five hits off Royal right-hander Jeff Suppan, who pitched his first major league shutout. It came three days after Minnesota’s Eric Milton threw his first shutout, also against the Angels.

The Angels are last in the American League in runs scored. They are averaging three runs a game since the All-Star break. They have been shut out eight times and scored two or fewer runs in 29 other losses.

“Not to take anything away the other teams, they are coming and competing also, but we’re not even putting good swings on pitches,” Angel Manager Terry Collins said. “Mo hit a few real hard tonight. Tim Salmon hit one hard. Garret Anderson just missed one.”

So it has reached the point where Collins is reduced to counting good contact as silver linings.

“Guys, we’ve tried everything,” he said. “We’ve messed with the lineup and given everyone a chance to play. We have taken extra batting practice. We’ve canceled batting practice. We’ve changed the routine in batting practice. Now, we’ve extended batting practice.”

The Angels got one runner beyond first base against Suppan, who entered the game with a 15-19 career record. Anderson singled and stole second--his first stolen base this season--to lead off the fifth. He got as far as third.

The Angels lost for the 16th time in 18 games. They fell 19 1/2 games behind Texas. Not that it matters any more, but the last time the Angels were that far out of first was the last day of the 1996 season.

“We have to go out and be professionals,” Anderson said. “We’re still being paid. We have to go about things as we usually do.”

Unfortunately for starting pitcher Mike Fyhrie, the Angels did just that.

Fyhrie pitched well enough to win, giving up two runs on four hits in six innings. But the Angel offense doesn’t allow for that many mistakes.

“Mike pitched well enough to win,” Collins said.

But all Collins could do was look with envy at how Kansas City was able to manufacture, and take advantage of, opportunities.

Johnny Damon led off the game with a single and stole second. He went to third on Carlos Febles’ fly to right and scored on Carlos Beltran’s groundout.

In the fourth, Jermaine Dye’s flare to right went for a double when Salmon came up short on a sliding attempt at a catch. Dye went to third on Randa’s groundout and scored on Jeremy Giambi’s single.

Troy Glaus’ error led to the Royals’ third run. He booted Tim Spehr’s grounder in the seventh. Spehr was sacrificed to second by Rey Sanchez and scored on Febles’ two-out single.

The Royals broke the game open with a four-run ninth, which started with Spehr’s home run and was aided by DiSarcina’s error.

“The worst part now is we’re doing things now that we don’t do,” Collins said. “We don’t make mistakes defensively.”