Angels Swept by Yankees

If last year’s blissful Angel fan is this year’s jaded fan, this would have been his first question Thursday morning: Hey, if the Angels can pay off Kevin Appier and cut him, why can’t they do the same with Aaron Sele?

The question makes sense on the surface, but not so much upon closer investigation and even less after Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees at Edison Field. Sele was long gone by the time the Angels lost, when Nick Johnson singled home the winning run in the 10th inning.

The Angels sold out all three games of this series, and the Yankees won them all. Since the All-Star break, the fading Angels have lost 12 of 15 games.

After the teams ended nine innings at 1-1, the Angels summoned closer Troy Percival, who entered a tie game for the first time since April. With one out, Percival walked Bernie Williams and Hideki Matsui. After Jorge Posada fouled out, Johnson drove in Williams.

The Angels issued 11 walks and threw 189 pitches -- 94 balls, 95 strikes.

“Our ball-strike ratio might have been the worst I’ve ever seen,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Percival blamed plate umpire Matt Hollowell. “You don’t have five or six pitchers all lose their command in one night,” Percival said.

But Scioscia pinned the loss on an offense that went 0 for 11 with men in scoring position. In the eighth inning, the Angels loaded the bases with one out and failed to score.

The contracts of Appier and Sele each extend through 2004, with Appier owed $15.67 million and Sele $11.17 million. The veterans each started the week with an earned-run average that started with 5.

But, after Sele held the Yankees to one run over six innings Thursday, check out the July ERA for each pitcher -- Sele 2.33, Appier 10.92.

In his first season following shoulder surgery, Sele is a work in progress. He threw 50 strikes and 49 balls Thursday. But, as he regains his form, the Angels can envision the successful 2004 for Sele that they couldn’t for Appier.

“We’re seeing certain things with Aaron as the season goes on,” pitching coach Bud Black said. “His velocity has picked up. His endurance is starting to get better. We’re seeing more strength in his shoulder.

“There’s an upside there with Aaron.”

The three-game series drew 131,544, a record since the renovation and downsizing of Edison Field. The club record for a three-game series -- 175,058 for a 1989 series against the Oakland A’s -- was set in the old Anaheim Stadium, with its capacity of 65,000.

The lively atmosphere did not reflect the standings, or the afternoon environment. Four hours before game time, as New York General Manager Brian Cashman held a conference call to discuss the acquisition of third baseman Aaron Boone, the Yankees’ latest purchase, Scioscia patiently worked with rookies Alfredo Amezaga and Robb Quinlan on bunting.

With outfielder Tim Salmon and third baseman Troy Glaus out because of injuries, the Angels fielded another makeshift lineup, this one with Shawn Wooten batting fourth and Quinlan fifth. The Angels have scored nine runs in their last seven games, no more than two in any.

Salmon, sidelined by back spasms, is expected to return tonight. Scioscia said it would be “a reach” for Glaus, out because of a bruised shoulder, to return when eligible next week, even as a designated hitter.

The Angels have slipped from contention -- 13 1/2 games behind Seattle in the American League West, 11 behind Boston and 9 1/2 behind Oakland in the wild-card race -- but General Manager Bill Stoneman refuses to concede, at least for the wild card.

“We’ve got to get Salmon back healthy and Glaus back healthy and do the very best we can,” Stoneman said. “I don’t see a reason why we can’t play very well and finish up big.”