[0] SELE STRUGGLES; ANGELS ARE SWEPT TEXAS 8-3, ANGELS 5-2.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Angels lost on Monday - twice on the field, and in the standings.

After they were swept in a doubleheader by the streaking Texas Rangers, 8-5 and 3-2, the Angels dropped to third place in the American League West.

About the only team hotter than the Rangers, who won their sixth and seventh consecutive games, is the Oakland A's, who beat Seattle for their eighth in a row and moved past the Angels and into second place, two games behind first-place Seattle. The Angels are 2 1/2 games back.

The Angels figured to have a good chance to win both games at The Ballpark in Arlington, going up against Rangers starting pitchers Joaquin Benoit (a rookie) and Dave Burba (a journeyman).

Problem was, the Angels had a rookie (John Lackey) and a journeyman (Aaron Sele) of their own going, and the Rangers won both matchups. Benoit outpitched Sele in the first game and Burba outpitched Lackey in the nightcap.

Even though he lost, Lackey was impressive in his major-league debut. He allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one. He had trouble with Alex Rodriguez, however, and it was enough to beat him.

Rodriguez, who scored four runs in the first game, homered, doubled and scored twice in the nightcap. The Angels got a two-homer game from Darin Erstad in the first-game loss.

In the second game, the Angels rallied from a 3-0 deficit to make it 3-2 and had the potential tying run on second base with one out in the ninth. But Rangers closer Hideki Irabu retired Orlando Palmeiro and David Eckstein to complete the sweep.

The first game started promisingly for the Angels against Benoit, who was making just his second career major-league start. The Angels loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning but managed only one run.

In the second inning, Erstad hit the first of his two home runs in the game with Jorge Fabregas on base for a 3-0 Angels lead.

But the lead didn't last because Sele struggled to find the strike zone and found himself consistently behind in the count. Rangers second baseman Michael Young (Bishop Amat High) had a two-out, two-run single in the second inning and Rafael Palmeiro had a two-out, RBI single in the third to tie the game at 3.

``It's all about finishing the inning,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``He struggled with that.''

The Rangers went ahead in the fifth inning, 5-3, on a sacrifice fly by Palmeiro and an RBI single by Herbert Perry. Sele didn't make it out of the fifth, finishing his night having given up five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

``I was behind (in the count) to over half the hitters,'' Sele said. ``It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that's not how to pitch.''

Sele (6-5) has not been the pitcher the Angels were hoping to get when they signed him to a three-year, $24 million contract last December, and Sele is the first to admit it.

``When you pitch bad, you pitch bad, there's no two ways about it,'' said Sele, who has allowed opposing hitters to bat .324 against him this season. ``I don't think I've thrown the ball very well or consistently all year.''

Sele's ERA ballooned to 5.54, the worst among the club's starters.

``We haven't seen the best of Aaron Sele this year,'' Scioscia said. ``Hopefully, it's yet to come. His stuff looks good, but the consistency hasn't been what I know it (should be). He's been battling. I know he'll get there.''

ANGELS vs. TEXAS

Time: 5:05 p.m., The Ballpark in Arlington.

TV/Radio: Channel 9; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: Scott Schoeneweis (6-5, 4.83 ERA) will start for Anaheim against Texas' Ismael Valdes (4-6, 3.86). Valdes is making his fourth start of the season against his former teammates. In the first three, he's 1-1 with a 2.01 ERA. Angels batters have hit only .167 vs. Valdes. Schoeneweis, who has won three of his past four starts, is coming off a victory over the Cardinals.

- Joe Haakenson

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ANGELS vs. TEXAS (see text)