Angels Fall, Can’t Close This Case

ANAHEIM — A six-game winning streak, a 10-game home winning streak, and an impressive stretch in which the Angels held a lead for 56 consecutive innings came to a crashing end with Monday night’s 9-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals in Anaheim Stadium.

But the controversy surrounding the Angels’ closer, thought to be put to rest by General Manager Bill Bavasi Sunday, lingered on.

Bavasi told reporters before Sunday’s game against Minnesota that flame-throwing right-hander Troy Percival, who is 11 for 11 in save opportunities, hasn’t given up a run in 13 appearances or a hit since April 20, was the team’s closer.

But Manager Marcel Lachemann had maintained through April that Lee Smith--when he proved he was healthy--would be the closer, and the manager did not back off from that position Monday afternoon.

“I still have to talk to Bill [Bavasi] about it, because I had made some comments, and I don’t go back on my word,” Lachemann said. “If my word is no good to Lee Smith, it’s no good to anyone else. If that causes a problem, I’ll have to deal with it . . . but right now it’s not an issue.”

Bavasi said his intentions Sunday were to correct comments he made over the winter, after Smith ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee in a hunting accident. Bavasi said in January that Smith would be the team’s closer when he was physically sound.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Bavasi said. “At whatever point Lach wants Lee to close, he’ll close, but the club is not going to mandate who the closer is. That’s up to Lach. I realized I put Lach and Lee and Troy in bad spots by saying what I did. A general manager should not be making those decisions.”

Lachemann said Smith, who has pitched three scoreless innings since coming off the disabled list April 23, is “close” to being ready to close, but it may not be with the Angels.

Bavasi is trying to trade the 38-year-old, who has a major league-record 471 saves, and the Angels are believed to be talking with the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros about Smith.

The Angels would like Astro right-hander Darryl Kile, but considering Smith’s age, health and salary ($1.7 million), it’s doubtful the Angels could get a major league starting pitcher for Smith.

“I’m dedicated to making sure Lee can close somewhere,” Bavasi said, “and if I can make the right deal tomorrow, I’d make the deal.”

The Angels didn’t need a closer Monday night as much as they needed a middle reliever or two. The Angels had 12 hits, including four by Jim Edmonds and three by J.T. Snow, but the Royals pounded out a season-high 16 hits and chased Angel starter Phil Leftwich in the fifth before 14,447.

Leftwich, making his second start since being called up from triple-A Vancouver to replace injured Scott Sanderson, gave up five runs--two earned--and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs in three innings against Oakland Wednesday.

Asked if Leftwich would get another start, Lachemann said, “I don’t know.” With Mark Langston a candidate for the disabled list, what are Lachemann’s options? “There are always options,” he said.

Two former Dodgers led the Royals--pitcher Tim Belcher, who had a career 1-3 record and 7.13 earned-run average against the Angels, gave up 12 hits but only four runs in 6 1/3 innings to gain the victory, and first baseman Jose Offerman had three hits, an RBI and two runs.

The Royals, with the help of Angel second baseman Randy Velarde’s fielding error and David Howard’s two-run single, scored three unearned runs in the second.

The Angels countered with two in the second on Edmonds’ RBI single and Tim Salmon’s sacrifice fly, but the Royals scored twice in the fifth (RBI singles by Johnny Damon and Michael Tucker) and three times in the seventh off reliever Mark Holzemer (Damon’s two-run triple, Tucker’s suicide squeeze) to take an 8-3 lead.

Tom Goodwin’s fielding error on Gary DiSarcina’s liner to left field opened the door for an Angel rally in the seventh. Edmonds, who hit his 11th homer of the season in the fifth, singled, and Salmon singled to make it 8-4.

Both runners advanced on Chili Davis’ fly ball to left, but Royal second baseman Bip Roberts made a diving stab of Snow’s grounder and threw Snow out to end the inning.