[0] INDIANS GET RICHER ON ANGELS : CLEVELAND 5, ANGELS 4.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer

When the Angels last hosted the Indians in May, much of the crowd was pro-Cleveland.

On Monday night, with the Indians sitting atop the Central Division with a league-best record and the Angels floundering in last in the West, any of the 19,499 fans in attendance rooting for the Angels had little to cheer about.

There was that three-run eighth inning that trimmed a four-run deficit. But Jose Mesa slammed the door shut in the ninth and California (53-65) lost 5-4 to the Indians (72-47).

It was the club's seventh loss in its past eight games, its 12th defeat in its past 14, and it ran interim manager John McNamara's record to 1-6. The deficit behind first-place Texas now is 13-1/2 games.

Trailing 5-1 in the eighth, the Angels came to life. Cleveland starter Orel Hershiser (12-7) walked Randy Velarde and Gary DiSarcina and gave way to Paul Assenmacher, who gave up what would have been a three-run home run to Chili Davis had Albert Belle not reached over the wall and caught it. Jim Edmonds followed with an RBI double, and Paul Shuey came in. He walked Tim Salmon and gave up an RBI grounder to J.T. Snow before retiring Garret Anderson for the final out.

Mesa pitched a perfect ninth for his 29th save.

Hershiser gave up three runs and five hits with four walks and three strikeouts in seven-plus innings. He beat Chuck Finley (11-11), who gave up three earned runs and eight hits in seven innings.

Finley also walked five and struck out eight. Four of those walks and four of those strikeouts came in his final two innings. His walks helped load the bases and his strikeouts helped him get out of each inning.

Since the Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, it wasn't apparent at first that Cleveland had more fans.

But after the Indians took a 3-1 lead in the third, the bandwagon showed itself. People waved their signs and pennants whenever the Indians did anything they liked.

Never were the Cleveland rooters louder than in the fourth inning, when Jeff Kent had a single negated by a beach ball.

Kent, who arrived as part of the July 29 trade that sent Carlos Baerga to the New York Mets, rapped a Finley 2-1 pitch into left field for a single. But just before that pitch, a beach ball had been hit onto the field in front of the Indians dugout.

First-base umpire Jim Joyce made the call, and Kent went back to the bat. The crowd booed, and the boos were louder when Kent grounded to third base.

But there were cheers when Cleveland scored its runs.

Sandy Alomar and Omar Vizquel started the third with singles off Finley, and Kenny Lofton drove in Alomar with a single. One out later, Mark Carreon walked to load the bases, and Belle followed with a two-run single to right. Belle came in with just eight hits in his past 59 at-bats.

More cheers came in the sixth, when Alomar doubled in two. The Indians had two out when Manny Ramirez doubled. Finley picked him off, but DiSarcina dropped the ball for an error. Finley then walked two to load the bases before Alomar doubled.

The cheers for the Angels came whenever Belle was retired, as he was in the second, sixth and ninth innings, and when they scored their runs.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Velarde scored on Davis' double-play grounder. Velarde had led off with a single, stole second and went to third on first baseman Carreon's throwing error.

Notes: McNamara watched his second consecutive game from his clubhouse office. He is on crutches after suffering a strained calf muscle in his right leg, and it's been difficult getting around. He's been watching the game on television and communicating via walkie-talkie to bench coach Bill Maddon. McNamara said he expects to be able to be in the dugout today. . . .