ANAHEIM, Calif. - It is "Break Out the Red Week" at Angel Stadium, but the Angels are breaking out in black and blue.
Left-hander Joe Saunders had his shortest start of the season Wednesday night, retiring just four of the 12 batters and digging a six-run hole for his team.
The Angels nearly dug their way out of that hole before losing, 6-5, to the Oakland A's in a sloppy game that Manager Mike Scioscia wasn't around to see end. He was ejected by plate umpire Paul Schreiber during one of the night's signature moments - a pitching change - in the seventh inning.
But even at that early hour, Scioscia would have found a long line for the showers. The A's and Angels went through 11 pitchers.
More worrisome, the Angels ended the game with infielders Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins on the bench nursing injuries.
Kendrick left in the fourth inning because of a recurrence of the left hamstring problems that landed him on the disabled list for 42 games earlier this season. Aybar left in the ninth also because of tightness in his left hamstring.
Career outfielder Juan Rivera finished the game playing second base, his first major-league experience at the position. Figgins was unavailable because of a toe injury suffered Tuesday.
The loss was the Angels' ninth in 14 games since reaching a season-high 32 games over .500 on Aug. 12 and dropped them to 12-12 for the month.
Nonetheless, they sit atop the American League West with the same 15-game lead they had 15 days ago and will go into this weekend's four-game series against the second-place Texas Rangers with a magic number of 15 to clinch their fourth division title in the past five years.
Saunders lasted just 11/3 innings in the second-shortest start of his career. He was knocked out of the box in the first inning against the A's on Sept. 30, 2006. That outing ended prematurely when Saunders took a batted ball off the right leg.
On Wednesday, Saunders stuck out his pitching hand to try to grab Rajai Davis' bouncer up the middle to start the game.
His ERA would have been better off if he hadn't. He allowed a run on three hits and a walk in the first inning then gave up four runs on five hits before leaving in the second. Bobby Crosby drove in two with a double and Emil Brown followed with a two-run home run.
Saunders has allowed 12 runs on 17 hits in only 62/3 innings over his past two starts.
rvrrat92677 
