A LONG DAY'S NIGHT FOR ANGELS EXPOS WIN IN WILD 14TH INNING EXPOS 8, ANGELS 7.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - They rallied from a four-run deficit, pushed the game from Thursday night into the wee hours of Friday morning, claimed a two-run lead and were poised to climb three games above .500 for the first time this season.

But before just a few hundred hardy souls still milling around Hiram Bithorn Stadium, the Angels lost a two-run lead, lost the game and were left to ponder the state of an overtaxed bullpen as their 12-game road odyssey turned sour.

Fourteen innings and 5 hours, 5 minutes of baseball produced merely frustration for the Angels as the Montreal Expos rallied for three runs off Mickey Callaway to beat them 8-7, in a game that could have been a season-turner for them but instead was a stomach-turner.

``The only thought as a player is if you're going to hang around this long, you might as well win 'em,'' said starting pitcher John Lackey, who pitched six innings but was gone from the game about three hours before its conclusion. ``These are the kinds of games that can build momentum.''

Instead, it sapped the Angels bullpen, pushed them 10 1/2 games behind Seattle and stunted the momentum that a four-game winning streak produced.

The Angels gradually erased a 5-1 deficit. They should have been done after nine innings, as Rocky Biddle struck out Jeff DaVanon with two outs in the ninth inning. But DaVanon seemingly can do little wrong these days, and after he whiffed the ball got away from catcher Michael Barrett, enabling Chone Figgins to chug home with the tying run.

The next five innings were a test of wills.

As the game dragged on through the haze of Puerto Rico humidity, the Angels pounded Gatorade in the dugout and patched together a lineup that had Scott Spiezio in right field, Shawn Wooten behind home plate and today's starter, Kevin Appier, headed down to the bullpen for emergency duty.

The Angels had numerous chances to pull the game out. Instead, they stranded 10 runners from the eighth through 14th innings, wasting 6 1/3 scoreless innings of relief from Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez and Callaway.

Callaway, a starter by trade who hadn't pitched on consecutive days before this season, was pitching for the fourth consecutive game and third time in three days. He acknowledged there wasn't much life on his fastball, but he was the last man standing in the Angels' bullpen.

He got through the 13th fine, but after Troy Glaus' two-run single in the top of the 14th gave the Angels a 7-5 lead, Callaway couldn't close the deal.

He gave up a one-out single to Endy Chavez, and then got a bad break when Orlando Cabrera's dribbler hugged the third base line and stayed fair, putting the tying run on.

Jose Vidro followed with an RBI single, making it 7-6, but Callaway battled back to strike out Brad Wilkerson.

One out away.

But with Ron Calloway, who earlier hit a three-run homer off Lackey, at the plate, Callaway threw a split-fingered fastball that cut back across the plate. Calloway lashed it into right field. Spiezio, an infielder in his day job, made a game attempt to throw out Vidro, but he had little chance to get him with two outs.

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques@daily news.com

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Photo:

The Angels' Jeff DaVanon throws his bat after singling against Montreal in the ninth inning Thursday. Chone Figgins scored on the play to tie the game.

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press