Angels Lose Their Lead

OAKLAND —  Whatever name the Oakland Athletics attach to their stadium -- Oakland Coliseum, Network Associates Coliseum, McAfee Coliseum; it seems to change every year -- it won’t be etched in Scot Shields’ memory. To the Angel right-hander, this is simply the House of Pain.

The Angels’ most reliable reliever suffered another meltdown in the home of the A’s, giving up three runs in the seventh inning of a 4-3 loss Wednesday night, laying to waste rookie right-hander Ervin Santana’s six-inning gem and enabling Oakland to move into a first-place tie with the Angels in the American League West.

It was Shields’ sixth blown save and seventh loss of the season, and it dropped his career record in McAfee Coliseum to 0-4 with a 5.03 earned-run average.

“I don’t know what it is,” Shields said of his struggles in Oakland. “But I hope it’s 2-1 or 1-0 in the seventh or eighth inning [today], because I want some revenge. Santana pitched a great game, and for me not to hold it for him hurts.”

Shields’ last loss here was another heartbreaker, April 16, when he threw Marco Scutaro’s sacrifice bunt past first base for a 10th-inning error that allowed Nick Swisher to score from first base for a 1-0 A’s win.

Wednesday night’s loss was probably more excruciating for Shields because, unlike the April 16 defeat, which had a sudden-death feel to it -- it took only two batters -- the seventh inning Wednesday seemed to drag on forever.

Santana was dominant despite having what he called his “average stuff,” giving up one run and six hits, including Adam Melhuse’s third-inning home run. The Angels were in position to end A’s left-hander Barry Zito’s eight-game winning streak, taking a 2-1 lead into the seventh, thanks to Bengie Molina’s two-run double in the third.

Santana’s pitch count reached 92 when he finished the sixth, and he appeared strong enough to go at least one more inning, but with Shields well rested -- he hadn’t pitched in five days and had thrown once in the previous nine days -- Manager Mike Scioscia went to his bullpen.

Three pitches in, Jay Payton rocketed a triple into the right-center-field gap, a ball that might have gone for a double had right fielder Vladimir Guerrero and center fielder Steve Finley not gotten tangled up with each other at the wall.

Shields got Bobby Kielty to ground to second, Payton holding, but with the infield in, Swisher grounded a score-tying single to center. Melhuse then singled to right, and both runners advanced on Jason Kendall’s fly ball to deep left.

Mark Ellis followed with a grounder up the middle that shortstop Orlando Cabrera charged aggressively, giving himself an awkward angle on the ball, which squirted out of his glove.

The play was ruled a hit, and Swisher scored for a 3-2 lead. Shields then threw a wild pitch over Molina’s head, allowing Melhuse to score for a 4-2 Oakland lead, an insurance run that proved to be huge when Finley hit a solo homer against closer Huston Street in the top of the ninth.

Street struck out Adam Kennedy and Chone Figgins looking and retired Cabrera on a grounder to second for his 14th save, making a winner of reliever Justin Duchscherer.

“That pitch to Payton was down in the zone and away, and he crushed it,” Shields said. “A leadoff triple ... that’s kind of hard to overcome.”

Scioscia did not think Cabrera, who failed to glove a bad-hop grounder in the 10th inning that cost the Angels a game against the New York Yankees on July 31, approached Ellis’ grounder too aggressively.

“That’s the only way he could have played it,” Scioscia said. “With runners at second and third, you’ve got to make the play at first, and you have a guy who can run. [Cabrera] has to get to the ball and make a throw. By no means was that play routine, and the ball took a tough hop.”

Scioscia said he decided to pull Santana after six innings, “because I didn’t think he had his best stuff. If the bullpen [wasn’t rested] we might have stretched Ervin a bit, but he battled and put himself in a position to win....He pitched a terrific game. It’s a great sign to see him pitch that well without his best stuff.”

The Angels took a 2-0 lead in the third when they loaded the bases with two outs against Zito, and Molina ripped a looping, 0-and-2 curve into the left-field corner for a two-run double.

Melhuse’s homer pulled the A’s within 2-1 in the bottom of the third, and Oakland went ahead for good in the seventh.

“Shields had one tough inning, but he’ll be fine. He turns the page well,” Scioscia said.