Angels Run Into Double Trouble

The Angels distributed free T-shirts to the 36,052 at Edison Field Friday, inviting fans to turn themselves into human billboards for an upcoming Disney movie. The fans could turn those T-shirts inside out and inscribe this slogan upon them: “I went to the Angel game and saw a play I’d never seen.”

Try this on for size: Gary DiSarcina singled into a double play.

That’s exactly what happened, although the play wasn’t scored that way. Officially, he grounded into a double play, the most interesting play in a largely drab 9-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

“That’s what makes the game so interesting,” Toronto’s Carlos Delgado said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

The Angels played the game under protest, with Manager Terry Collins charging umpires with improperly depriving the Angels of a run on the strange play. Collins admitted his chance of winning the protest was “probably zero.”

In the end, home runs did far more damage to the Angels’ hopes, with Jose Canseco hitting a two-run homer and Delgado hitting two solo shots. Nonetheless, the Angels can call themselves “the first-place Angels” at least through the end of the homestand Sunday. The Rangers lost to the Yankees, so the Angels remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Texas in the American League West.

Jeff Juden, the Angels’ answer to the Rangers’ acquisition of Todd Stottlemyre, gave up all three Toronto home runs but little else, allowing five hits in seven innings and striking out nine. In three starts since the Angels acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers, Juden is 0-2 with a 5.59 earned-run average.

In four starts since the Rangers acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals, Stottlemyre has a 6.00 ERA. His record is 3-1, though, because the Rangers are averaging 11 runs in his four starts. The Angels are averaging four runs per game in support of Juden.

They had scored one in the second inning, with the bases loaded and one out, when the weirdness and then the protest erupted.

Follow closely now: DiSarcina lines to right field. Matt Walbeck, at first base, proceeds halfway to second, unsure whether Toronto right fielder Shawn Green will catch the ball or play it on a hop. Garret Anderson, at second base, stood there, apparently assuming Green would catch the ball.

Green charged hard, missing the ball by inches but trapping it in his glove. Umpires immediately signaled that Green had not caught the ball, and Walbeck hustled to second base.

That, unfortunately for the Angels, was where Anderson was standing. Apparently, Anderson never saw the umpires and barely moved toward third base. The Blue Jays threw to third, forcing Anderson for the second out.

“The umpire clearly went ‘Safe!’ ” Angel third-base coach Larry Bowa said. “I was screaming, ‘Come on, come on!’ I don’t know why he didn’t.”

Said Anderson: “I just messed it up. I have no excuses. I’ll take responsibility for it.”

Walbeck, meanwhile, saw Anderson in front of him and, after tagging second base, decided he had better scurry back toward first. The Blue Jays then threw to second base, forcing Walbeck for the third out.

“I put my head down and started running to second base, thinking everybody’s going to advance,” Walbeck said. “I looked up five feet from second base and saw Garret. I panicked.

“I turned around to go back to first base. Then I see DiSar, and DiSar is screaming at me to go to second base. By then, it was too late.”

Jim Edmonds, the runner at third base, had long since crossed home plate. But, because a run cannot score when the final out is a force play, umpires negated the run.

Collins protested, arguing the force was removed when Walbeck hit second. The umpires told Collins the force was reinstated when Walbeck left the base and ran back toward first.

“I felt like an idiot,” Walbeck said. “I’ve never seen a play like that.”

DiSarcina shook his head and shuffled toward his defensive position.

He had singled, but he hadn’t singled. The double play nullified the single, so he had grounded into a double play. Singled into a double play, really.