Angels’ Erick Aybar is irate over umpire’s call

The umpire whose disputed call haunted the Angels on Monday said he stood by it after taking a look at replays after the game.

With one out in the eighth inning and Erick Aybar on first base representing the tying run, Mike Trout flied out to deep right field. Aybar, running on the play, had rounded second base and had to scamper back to first.

Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier threw to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who reached out to tag Aybar. Gary Darling, the plate umpire, had charged up the first base line and called Aybar out.

Darling said he didn’t see any daylight between the glove and the runner.

Aybar had to be restrained by Alfredo Griffin, the Angels’ first base coach. Griffin said he did not need to see a replay to know Gonzalez had missed the tag — “It was clear,� Griffin said — and the visitors in the first base dugout agreed.

“From our angle, and we had a pretty good angle on it, it looked like a lot of daylight,� Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Darling said he reviewed replays after the game to make sure he got the call right.

“Still had no daylight,� Darling said.

Aybar said he did not feel a tag. Gonzalez said he showed his glove to Darling to indicate he had tagged Aybar.

“It was such a quick play,� Gonzalez said. “I thought I grazed his shirt.�

Albert Pujols, who had three hits and hit the ball hard in all five at-bats, was on deck. Pujols would have batted with the tying run on base had Aybar gotten back to first base rather than gotten doubled up.

“He got back to first base,� Scioscia said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the call.�

Slugging back

Josh Hamilton’s double gave him 12 extra-base hits in May and five in the last week. He had five extra-base hits in April, with a slugging percentage of .296. His slugging percentage this month: .522.

Hamilton still has a way to go. His batting average is .244 this month, .222 overall. On Sunday, he said, he hit a home run on a tough pitch and made outs on two fat pitches.

“I hit a pitch out that I shouldn’t have hit out,� he said. “I got two hanging curveballs and I popped ‘em up.

“When I feel good, and when things are going good, I’m hitting hanging curveballs and the pitches I shouldn’t hit. I feel great at the plate. The results aren’t there. I’m definitely not producing where I usually would.�

Short hops

Left-handed reliever Sean Burnett said he is scheduled for X-rays on his sore left elbow Tuesday. Burnett left Sunday’s game because of what he said was elbow discomfort. … Scioscia declined to say when Tommy Hanson would rejoin the starting rotation, other than to say Hanson would not need a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Hanson has not pitched since May 4 in the aftermath of the death of his stepbrother. … Tuesday’s game features Angels starter Joe Blanton, who has given up the most hits of any American League pitcher, against the Dodgers, the team that leads the National League in runners left on base.

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