For Angels, Trouble Is Only Big Inning

The good news for the Angels on Wednesday night: Nobody got hurt. That’s a significant achievement for a team that lost its best pitcher, Chuck Finley, and its starting catcher, Todd Greene, to season-ending injuries in a two-day span last week.

More good news: Despite their hideous, 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians before 20,140 in Anaheim Stadium, the Angels remained only two games behind Seattle in the American League West, thanks to the Mariners’ loss to Boston.

That’s right. The Angels gave up 10 runs in the fourth inning Wednesday night, the recently reliable Allen Watson was shredded like a sensitive government document, and Cleveland third baseman Matt Williams tied a modern-day major league record with six RBIs in one inning.

And the Angels are no worse for wear.

Indian rookie Jaret Wright, the son of former Angel pitcher Clyde Wright, gave up three runs on four hits and struck out four in seven innings to gain the victory.

The 21-year-old right-hander, a first-round pick in 1994, is 5-2 since being recalled from triple-A Buffalo on June 24 and was backed Wednesday by a 15-hit attack, in which every starter had at least one hit

The Angels, meanwhile, were left to ponder how they’re going to remain in a division race without their ace, Finley, who has a broken bone in his left wrist.

Players were barely done patting each other’s backs after Tuesday night’s 8-7 victory over Cleveland when they heard about Finley, who had won 10 previous decisions before his Aug. 19 injury.

“No doubt, it’s a crushing blow to us,” shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “To lose your No. 1 guy, your stopper who was on a hot streak . . . He was our answer to [Seattle ace] Randy Johnson.

“It’s devastating. When you’re in a dogfight for 30 games, you need your No. 1 guy.

“But at the same time, we can’t dwell on it. We have to move on, put it out of our minds. Chuck was our security blanket for a few weeks and now he’s gone, so we’re going to have to grind it out offensively. It puts more importance on playing the game the right way, scoring as much as possible.”

Finley’s injury came a day before Greene broke a bone in his right wrist. Pitchers Mark Langston and Mark Gubicza have sat out most of the season because of injuries, and closer Troy Percival sat out five weeks because of injury.

Reliever Rich DeLucia has been out since July 19 because of an aneurysm in his shoulder, reliever Mike James sat out most of July because of an elbow injury, and center fielder Jim Edmonds two weeks this month because of a lower back strain.

And second baseman Tony Phillips missed 10 games this month after being arrested on felony possession of cocaine charges Aug. 10.

“So much has happened in the last few weeks, so many crazy things,” DiSarcina said. “I can’t even remember three weeks ago . . . but no one here feels sorry for ourselves.

“It’s just another obstacle we have to conquer. I’ve been here six years and this is the most resilient team I’ve been on. If any team can overcome the loss of Chuck Finley, it’s this one.”

It couldn’t Wednesday night. Watson did not give up a hit through three innings, facing the minimum nine batters, but 10 Indians batted against him in the fourth, scoring eight runs on eight hits before Watson was pulled for Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

Cleveland sent 14 to the plate in the inning, the big blows being Williams’ three-run home run and Marquis Grissom’s grand slam off Watson and Williams’ three-run double off Hasegawa.

The score was tied, 3-3, when Grissom lofted his bases-loaded fly ball into the left-field corner. Garret Anderson missed the ball by inches, Watson was charged with his major league-leading 29th home run allowed, and the Indians had a 7-3 lead. A single, Dave Hollins’ 25th error and a walk later, Williams doubled to the gap in left center for a 10-3 lead.

Williams joined a list of 12 others, seven in the American League and five in the National League, to knock in six runs in an inning, the last being Oakland’s Matt Stairs against the Angels on July 5, 1996.