Angels’ Reprieve Is All Too Brief

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels went to their prevent defense, a Mike Scioscia-inspired, five-infielder formation designed to plug holes for potential game-winning grounders, and for the fourth time in six tries this season, it resulted in an out.

“It’s a great defense,” Angel right fielder Tim Salmon said. “But I don’t know what it says that we’re constantly putting ourselves in a situation to use it.”

It says the Angels are in a lot of precarious situations on the road, with the winning run on third and fewer than two outs. It says the Angels are in deep trouble. It says that even if it works, the Angels still must get the final out.

That proved elusive Wednesday night, as Rusty Greer slapped an RBI single to left with two out in the ninth inning to lift the Texas Rangers to a 6-5 victory over the Angels before 27,858 at The Ballpark in Arlington.

The Angels tied the score against Ranger closer John Wetteland in the top of the ninth when Orlando Palmeiro reached on a pinch-hit single, stole second, took third on Adam Kennedy’s groundout and scored on Scott Spiezio’s pinch-hit bloop single over a drawn-in infield, a rally that was remarkable because Angel pinch-hitters were eight for 54 (.148) going into the game.

But the Rangers did well in a pinch, too. With one out in the ninth, Frank Catalanotto, hitting for Royce Clayton, tripled off the center-field wall off Angel reliever Al Levine for his American League-leading ninth pinch hit.

Scioscia moved center fielder Garret Anderson to first, first baseman Mo Vaughn to second, and Palmeiro and Salmon, the corner outfielders, toward the gaps. Luis Alicea popped to shallow left for the second out, and Anderson returned to the outfield.

Greer, who bats left-handed, then stroked his fourth hit of the game to left, marking the fifth time the Angels have lost in the six games they’ve used the five-infielder alignment. The Angels finished 2-4 on their trip to Oakland and Texas and are five games behind Seattle in the American League West.

Scioscia didn’t summon left-hander Mike Holtz to face Greer because Holtz pitched in the last four games. Closer Troy Percival was not considered.

“I hate to burn Troy for another day,” Scioscia said. “I have a lot of confidence in Al, and you have to look at the big picture. It’s still July, and Percy is going to have to save games in September for us to be where we want to be.”

The Angels will also need better starting pitching if they want to be in contention come September. Scott Schoeneweis, sidelined since June 17 because of a strained rib-cage muscle, gave up five runs on 10 hits in seven innings in his first game back.

“It wasn’t a loud five runs . . . but it’s tough to swallow,” Schoeneweis said. “Every time I go out there the guys seem to pick me up. It will be nice to hold a team down when we get five runs.”

Troy Glaus, mired in a one-for-17 slump, hit his 30th homer of the season for a 1-0 lead in the second, but that evaporated in the bottom of the second when Chad Curtis singled and Gabe Kapler hit his third homer in three days for a 2-1 Ranger lead.

Texas made it 5-1 with three runs in the fourth. Curtis doubled, Kapler blooped a single to left, and Bill Haselman doubled home Curtis. Kapler scored on Schoeneweis’ wild pitch, and Haselman scored on Alicea’s two-out infield single, a topper that stayed fair down the third base line.

But few leads are safe at The Ballpark in Arlington as long as Salmon is in the house. Ranger starter Matt Perisho, a former Angel whose daughter is also Schoeneweis’ goddaughter, walked Kevin Stocker and Vaughn to open the sixth.

Salmon followed with a three-run homer to right-center, pulling the Angels to within 5-4 and probably sending Ranger officials scrambling to arrange a police escort for Salmon to the airport after the game.

Salmon is batting .432 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs in 37 games in this ballpark, including a six-for-13, three-homer, seven-RBI series this week, and he has a .399 career average, 25 homers and 79 RBIs against Texas.

“When I was over there, he said this was his favorite place to hit,” Perisho said. “I’m just glad he’s leaving town.”