Nothing Comes of Angel Effort

OAKLAND — The American League’s biggest underachievers staggered into town to play perhaps its greatest overachievers.

It should come as no surprise that the bargain-basement Oakland Athletics pulled out an 8-7 victory in 11 innings over the talent-rich Angels before 14,144 Thursday at the Oakland Coliseum.

With three games left before the All-Star break, it’s possible the A’s--universally picked for last in the AL West--could reach the .500 mark and move into third.

If so, that would mean the Angels--the club many expected to win the division title--would be dead last by the break.

First to worst?

In a manner of speaking. After all, there is a huge difference between potential and accomplishment, which the Angels have proved so far in 1996.

What gives?

“I’m not going to shortchange their effort,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “We haven’t got the job done, but it’s not because of effort. Maybe it’s because of the managing, I don’t know. But they’re giving me plenty of effort.”

There also is a difference between effort and results, and Thursday’s game illustrated it.

Oakland built a 4-0 lead in the second inning, then lost it when the Angels scored two runs in the fourth and two in the fifth.

The A’s took a 6-4 lead in the sixth inning, but the Angels rallied again to grab a 7-6 lead in the seventh. It didn’t last, but the teams went to extra innings tied, 7-7.

The Angels couldn’t keep closer Troy Percival on the mound forever and soon enough, the A’s broke the tie in the 11th.

Oakland third baseman Scott Brosius slammed a 1-and-2 slider from Rich Monteleone over the left-field wall to lead off the inning and make the Angels losers for the 10th time in the last 13 games.

The swiftness of the loss stunned the Angels. It took more than 10 minutes for the last of the players and coaches to trudge up the stairs that lead from the dugout to the clubhouse. Once inside, there was hardly a whisper.

Lachemann, normally mild-mannered, had little patience for reporters’ questions. He crumpled a copy of the box score and tossed it across his desk in frustration.

“I feel. . . ,” he said. “We just lost in . . . extra innings, how in the . . . do you think I feel?

“They were scrapping. They battled all day. The hardest part was they battled all day and ended up with nothing for it.”

In addition to Monteleone’s home run ball, Lachemann was troubled by the Angels’ inability to score with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning.

Randy Velarde struck out, then Gary DiSarcina grounded into a force play at second base. “We didn’t execute there,” Lachemann said. “We didn’t put the ball in play.”

Percival continued to master the A’s, but he had apparently nothing more to give after throwing a career-high 2 2/3 innings.

Monteleone entered to start the 11th and couldn’t put his slider past Brosius, whose game-winning homer carried over the 362-foot sign on the left-field fence.

“Percival, all the guys did a great job,” Monteleone said. “I came in to do a job and didn’t do it.”

Monteleone warmed up several times during the game, but didn’t get the ball until after the game had passed the four-hour mark. He refused to use that as an excuse.

“It was a long game,” said Monteleone, 0-2 with a 6.94 earned-run average. “You never know what the game’s going to dictate. You’ve got to be ready for all types of situations.

“I feel great. I’ve just got to concentrate better and make better pitches when I’m ahead of the hitters in the count.”

The A’s, winners of 12 of 18, continue to jump on all manner of mistakes. Monteleone’s slider to Brosius was simply the most glaring example Thursday.

And it’s not as if Oakland doesn’t have punch. Brosius’ homer was the club’s 132nd, tops in the major leagues. If the A’s continue at this pace, they will break the 1961 New York Yankees’ single-season record of 240 with ease.

It’s the type of production the Angels could only hope for.