Angels Left Teetering After Donnelly Falters

Even as he expressed for the first time a willingness to trade major league talent for minor league talent, Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman emphasized Friday that he will not tamper with the core of his team and will not abandon the flickering hope that the defending World Series champions can return to the playoffs.

“We’re still within shooting distance,” Stoneman said. “We don’t have any white flags going up.”

But the Angels took another step toward next year Friday night, with a stunning 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. All-Star reliever Brendan Donnelly, who had given up two earned runs in 50 innings this season, gave up two in the eighth inning, in a defeat that spoiled an otherwise pleasant summer evening for a season-high crowd of 43,797 at Edison Field.

With nine weeks remaining in the season, the Angels trail the Seattle Mariners by 10 1/2 games in the American League West.

They have fallen into fifth place in the wild-card race, 8 1/2 games back.

And, at this time of year when they can no longer afford prolonged skids, they have lost seven of their nine games since the All-Star break.

A night that appeared so promising for the Angels -- Scott Spiezio ended a scoreless tie with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning, and starter John Lackey did not allow a runner past second base -- deteriorated in devastating fashion.

Donnelly rescued Lackey with two out in the seventh, retiring Scott Hatteberg with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. But the A’s tagged Donnelly for four hits within the span of five batters. In one inning, he gave up more hits than he had this month. His earned-run average virtually doubled, from 0.36 to a season-high 0.71.

Donnelly gave up an unearned run May 13, an earned run May 22 and another earned run June 18. He gave up two Friday, failing to protect a 1-0 lead.

Erubiel Durazo led off the eighth inning with a double, and Miguel Tejada doubled him home, tying the score, 1-1. Tejada took third on a fly ball and scored the winning run on a single by Ramon Hernandez. Mark Ellis then doubled, and the Angels yanked Donnelly in favor of Francisco Rodriguez.

In the top of the ninth, Billy McMillon homered off Rodriguez. In the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Adam Kennedy homered off Oakland closer Keith Foulke.

With the trading deadline five days away, Stoneman said he has discussed deals in which the Angels would sacrifice a major league player for a prospect who might not be ready for the majors.

“There are some possibilities for deals that can help us, whether the help is immediate or a year away,” he said. “If we can augment our team by making moves that don’t hurt us here and don’t hurt the system in terms of deleting our best prospects, then we’ll do that.”

Such a deal could involve the Angels’ trading from their bullpen strength, with relievers Scott Schoeneweis and Ben Weber eligible for salary arbitration next year. If the Angels can plug their lineup, outfielder Jeff DaVanon could be available.

Still, the Angels are unlikely to make a significant trade and uncertain about making any. They would like to add a hitter to help offset the losses of Brad Fullmer, out for the season, and Troy Glaus, out two weeks and possibly longer.

They do not currently appear to be interested in trading second baseman Adam Kennedy or shortstop David Eckstein.

And there won’t be much available in return so long as Stoneman continues to insist he will not consider trading away his top major league players or his top minor league prospects.

“I don’t foresee myself ever being a guy who says it’s a good thing to move your best minor leaguers,” he said. “Our best guys for somebody else’s best prospects? ... We’re not going to move our core players. That’s probably not something we’ll do even a month from now, no matter what the situation.”