Dickson Discovers a Critic: Himself

The Angels certainly didn’t give rookie right-hander Jason Dickson much to work with Friday night at Anaheim Stadium.

The big hits stopped coming in bunches the way they had in past games. Momentum was difficult to grasp and maintain. And there were other reasons the Angels lost to the Minnesota Twins, 4-3, before a crowd of 28,922.

But Dickson didn’t buy any of them. He said it was all his fault the Angels didn’t win Friday’s game.

“Fielding cost us the game, pitching cost us the game,” Dickson said. “We lose because I didn’t do my job.”

He was probably being too hard on himself, but if you bought into Dickson’s theory, here’s how he turned the Angels into losers:

First, Dickson failed to pick up Darrin Jackson’s slow roller down the first-base line leading off the pivotal seventh inning, which led to the game-winning run for the Twins.

Second, he couldn’t put away the Twins when he had his chances. All of the Twins’ runs scored with two out.

“Terrible,” said Dickson, who fell to 6-2 after going seven innings and giving up four runs (three earned) and six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

“I just relaxed mentally. It was nothing physical. I thought I had my good stuff tonight and I wasted it.”

A less headstrong analysis was provided by Angel Manager Terry Collins.

“Jason pitched well,” Collins said. “He did fine. The clutch hitting wasn’t there like we’ve had other nights. We don’t expect people to pitch shutouts. When you hold a team down like he did, you’ve done your job as a starting pitcher.”

Right from the start it was clear neither team would shed the other easily. Neither team could produce enough key hits to construct a big inning.

The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the first, then lost it when Angel designated hitter Eddie Murray homered to center field in the second.

The Angels built a 2-1 lead by the fourth, but lost it when second baseman Chuck Knoblauch delivered a run-scoring single and Matt Lawton doubled to drive in Knoblauch in the fifth.

The Twins lost their 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth when Darin Erstad doubled to score Gary DiSarcina, who also had doubled.

The Twins went ahead again, 4-3, on Lawton’s run-scoring single after Dickson’s fielding error in the seventh. Dickson retired the next two batters after Jackson reached base, but Lawton singled sharply to center.

Reliever Greg Swindell retired the Angels in order in the eighth and closer Rick Aguilera polished them off in the ninth, preserving the victory for starter Bob Tewksbury (2-5).

Aguilera earned his 11th save and was helped by a diving catch by left fielder Marty Cordova on Jim Edmonds’ sinking line drive and a leaping stab by Knoblauch on DiSarcina’s liner.

Tony Phillips popped up to end the game.

Tewksbury seemed to be continually on the verge of trouble, but the Angels couldn’t land a knockout blow and he managed to escape one jam after another.

The Angels had a hit in each of the seven innings Tewksbury worked, but couldn’t string enough of them together to force him from the game. Tewksbury left with the Twins ahead, 4-3, after seven innings, giving up three runs and 12 hits.

“Bob Tewksbury weathered storms--just like he always does,” Collins said. “He never gives in. I’ve seen him a lot of times give up a lot of hits, but not big innings.”

If Tewksbury wasn’t razor sharp there was a reason. He sat out three starts after cutting his right middle finger after slamming it in the door to the restroom on the team bus May 5.

Murray’s homer, only his third hit in 24 at-bats, was perhaps the biggest mistake Tewksbury made in the early innings.

The switch-hitting Murray, batting only .216, also had a two-out double against Tewksbury in the sixth. He was stranded when DiSarcina struck out.

Erstad also added offensive punch. By game’s end, Erstad had doubled twice, singled once and recorded his 29th run batted in.

Asked before the game about Erstad’s move to first base, Collins bristled.

“He’s no longer a guy who’s moved to first,” Collins said. “He is a first baseman. It’s no longer an experiment. This kid is a first baseman.”