Percival Fails to Save Angels Against Orioles

BALTIMORE —  Resiliency has been a trademark this season for the Angels, who have overcome a ridiculous number of injuries and their share of heartbreaking defeats, but nothing will test the depth of their resolve like Saturday’s devastating 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles before 48,038 in Camden Yards.

Angel closer Troy Percival entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with a 2-0 lead and as good a fastball as he’s had all season.

Then Oriole pinch-hitter Rich Becker lined a 96-mph fastball into center field for an inning-opening single, and shortstop Mike Bordick, Baltimore’s No. 9 hitter, put together what Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina called “the best at-bat I’ve ever seen anyone have off of Troy.”

In a grueling sequence that consisted of 11 Percival pitches, several clocked at 98 mph, Bordick went from an 0-and-2 count to a full count, fouling off five two-strike offerings before lining a two-run, game-tying home run off the left-field foul pole.

One out later, Brady Anderson singled, stole second and scored on Eric Davis’ single to center, colliding with catcher Phil Nevin just as Jim Edmonds’ one-hop throw arrived at the plate, sending the Orioles into a frenzy and the Angels into shock.

It was only the second time this season that the Angels lost after leading through eight innings--they are 72-2 in such games--the fourth time Percival gave up a home run and the fifth time he blew a save.

The loss, coupled with Texas’ victory over Tampa Bay, trimmed the Angels’ lead over the Rangers to one game in the AL West.

“We’ve gone through things like this all year and bounced back,” Angel designated hitter Tim Salmon said. “The timing is not exactly the best, but nothing is going to come easy for us. We’re going to have to earn this thing.”

Blowing a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth in May is one thing. Isn’t the same loss in the middle of September with Texas breathing down your neck a little different?

“You just have to let it go,” Manager Terry Collins said. “You can’t let games like this affect you the next day. If we have a lead in the ninth inning [today] Troy will be out there. . . .These are the times when you’ve got to reach deep down.”

Percival reached way back Saturday and found plenty in his right arm, which has been a bit temperamental of late but looked powerful Saturday. That’s what made this loss, in which Steve Sparks’ 7 2/3-inning, no-run, five-hit gem was wasted, even more odd.

“Normally when I have that strong an arm I don’t get beat like that,” Percival said. “I threw some decent pitches, and they kicked the . . . out of me. My arm felt good today, but their bats felt better than my arm.”

They usually do. The Orioles have tormented Percival this season as the Indians have in the past, sticking two losses on him and scoring eight earned runs on seven hits and eight walks in seven games against the right-hander. Percival has one strikeout in six innings against Baltimore.

And no matter how hard Percival throws, if you give a big league hitter 11 chances, he’s usually going to catch up to your fastball, as Bordick did.

“I threw the pitch inside, where I wanted it, and he turned on it,” Percival said. “I went up, down, in and out against him. There’s no doubt he had me timed.”

As he always does in these situations, Percival, who has 39 saves this season, put the blame on his shoulders.

The Angel offense, which scraped together two unearned runs against Oriole ace Mike Mussina, didn’t leave much room for error.

“Troy doesn’t have a lot of opportunities to have an off day,” Salmon said. “I have an off day, I come back and get ‘em tomorrow. He has one, it’s a real big deal. It’s a tough business.”