Brewers’ Surhoff Is Too Much : Baseball: Angels on the wrong side of this offensive show, 9-3.

The Angels, who had averaged eight runs a game over the last two weeks, don’t get too concerned these days when they leave a few guys on base in the early innings.

Anyway, all those high-fives too early in the game can tire out your arm.

But even baseball’s most prolific offense can suffer from opportunities missed, and the Angels, who left the bases loaded in the first and second innings, couldn’t overcome the B.J. Surhoff Show on Friday night during a 9-3 loss to Milwaukee in front of a paid crowd of 15,473.

Surhoff, who hadn’t hit a homer this year until July 4, now has four. He brought his personal fireworks exhibition into Anaheim Stadium, sending a pair of three-run rockets over the center-field fence, including one that traveled an estimated 450 feet. And rookie knuckleballer Steve Sparks doused the Angels, giving up only four hits and boosting his record to 5-3.

The Angels have spent a lot of time bunched around home plate lately, congratulating each other and rolling with the good times. But the smiles weren’t evident in the clubhouse after this one.

“You have to take advantage of situations when you get them in this game,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “You have to score as many runs as possible. We’ve been doing an awful lot of that this year, but tonight we didn’t and then we didn’t get many opportunities after that.”

Sparks, who celebrated his 30th birthday Sunday and his 10th major league start Friday, got off to a rocky start, giving up three runs in the first inning and issuing six walks in the first two innings.

But he has considerable knowledge about patience and timing. He labored for eight years in the minors before making his big league debut this year and might have made the Brewers’ roster last year if he hadn’t separated his left shoulder while trying to tear a telephone book in half after a motivational speech during spring training.

Sparks settled down after the first two innings and ripped up the Angel lineup with slow and slower knuckleballs. He gave up two hits and one walk in the last seven innings.

“I knew I had a lot of movement tonight, but I was going to have to make an adjustment to keep the ball in the area code,” Sparks said. “I had to choke back a little bit and use my fastball to get ahead.”

Before the game, Lachemann said the Angels’ offense had a positive effect on his pitching staff, “the other side of the coin from a guy going out there feeling like he can’t give up anything, afraid to make a mistake.”

The lack-of-fear factor may have had nothing to do with it, but starter Mike Bielecki made his share of mistakes, giving up six runs while getting seven outs. Joe Oliver and Surhoff hit home runs that accounted for five of the runs. His mistake to Surhoff in the third ended up rolling over the blue tarp that covers two sections of seats in the far reaches of center field and the Brewers led, 6-3.

Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a throwing error by Bielecki, a single, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly, but Tony Phillips erased that advantage with a single swing, lining his third homer in as many games leading off the bottom of the inning. It was the first time in his career that he has hit homers in three consecutive games.

The Angels added two more runs on a walk, Greg Myers’ run-scoring double and Damion Easley’s sacrifice fly. And then they left the bases loaded after Sparks walked two more and third baseman Kevin Seitzer let a ground ball skip between his legs.

The Brewers tied the score, 3-3, in the second when Surhoff singled and Oliver homered to deep center. Oliver’s shot was impressive, but Surhoff put it to shame in the third.

“Leaving the bases loaded is one thing, but you’re always concerned when the momentum shifts like that,” Lachemann said. “You leave the bases loaded and then they come back and throw a three-spot on you. They just outplayed us tonight.”

Center fielder Jim Edmonds wasn’t as concerned about blown chances as he was about the mood in the dugout.

“I didn’t see any panic, but the guys seemed to stop having fun when we got behind,” he said.

“There’s no reason playing the game has to be harder just because you’re a few runs down.”