Angels Rallied Too Late

The Angels closed the 2006 season Sunday with baseball’s best record (54-29) since July 1 and an overall mark (89-73) that is better than three of the four National League playoff teams, including the Dodgers.

But when the playoffs begin Tuesday, the Angels will be spectators with the rest of baseball’s also-rans, the disappointment of their second-place finish in the American League West overshadowing any sense of second-half achievement.

“There are no points for second place,� first baseman Darin Erstad said. “To start comparing us to teams in other divisions ... we don’t play the same people, so it’s a non-factor. The bottom line is we’re going home. You can spin it any way you want; we didn’t get it done.�

A shocker, this wasn’t. Despite a $104-million payroll, this was a flawed team that was a big bat or two away from being dangerous on offense, that leaned too heavily on too many untested rookies and got only one win from injured ace Bartolo Colon, the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner.

What was surprising, though, was the depth and duration of their early struggles on offense and long seasonlong ineptitude on defense that left them dumbfounded at times.

The Angels hit .245 and had a sub-.300 on-base percentage for the first seven weeks, leaving them with a 17-28 record and 6 1/2 -game division deficit May 22.

One of baseball’s best defensive teams in 2005, the Angels made a league-high 124 errors -- 35 more than last season -- and gave up 80 unearned runs, second most in the major leagues, after giving up 45 in 2005.

“It’s almost like we had a couple different teams this year,� Manager Mike Scioscia said. “The first six to eight weeks, we absolutely underachieved, especially on offense, and as the season went along, we probably overachieved. We weren’t a team that should have been 11 games under .500 in May, and we probably weren’t a team that should have won as many games since then.�

No happy medium meant no happy ending for the Angels, who, even without Colon, got enough pitching -- they finished with a 4.04 earned-run average, third best in the league -- to win the division but couldn’t support their starters and relievers with enough offense and defense.

“Considering how well we’ve played defensively, yeah, that was the most surprising thing,� said Erstad, who sat out most of the season because of an ankle injury. “When we made a mistake, it cost us. It was one of those things that makes no sense. We have great defenders, great pitching, just bad timing.�

As shaky as the defense was, “it’s not what broke us,� said second baseman Adam Kennedy, who is expected to depart as a free agent. “It was offensive inconsistency, not being able to put it together. Every team struggles at times, but you still need to score three or four runs a game, not zero or one. That happened too many times.�

The good news for Angels fans: The team’s inaction in October should lead to action in November, December and January.

Owner Arte Moreno, apparently fed up with his team’s constant struggles on offense, recently issued a “guarantee� that the Angels will “do something major� this winter, putting the pressure squarely on General Manager Bill Stoneman, who failed to add an impact bat last winter and before the July 31 trade deadline.

Money, Moreno said, “won’t be a hurdle� in their pursuit of a bat to boost a lineup that too often consisted of Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Rivera and little else, and the Angels are expected to make a strong bid for Alfonso Soriano, the top free-agent hitter on the market. Among the other possibilities are Carlos Lee, Barry Bonds, Nomar Garciaparra, Gary Matthews Jr. and Jay Payton.

Two other possible free-agent targets, should they exercise opt-out clauses in their contracts, are Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez and Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew, who could play center field in Anaheim. Center fielder Torii Hunter could become a free agent if the Minnesota Twins don’t exercise a $12-million 2007 option on him.

Among the possible trade targets are Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells, who is signed through 2007, Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez, who is signed through 2008, and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada, who is signed through 2009.

There has been speculation the Angels will pursue Alex Rodriguez, but the New York Yankees third baseman said he has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause.

“It gives you confidence they’re going to step up and try to improve the team this winter, because he loves to win,� shortstop Orlando Cabrera said of Moreno. “Whatever they bring will be a big asset for us.�

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