ABBOTT IS OUT AT HOME AGAIN : LANGSTON OUT 6-8 WEEKS KANSAS CITY 5, ANGELS 3.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

With their starting pitching rotation suddenly in tatters, the Angels looked to Jim Abbott Tuesday night for some small expression of reassurance.

They didn't get it.

Abbott, who is winless in nine starts at Anaheim Stadium since rejoining the Angels last July, was roughed up by the Kansas City Royals in a 5-3 Angels loss before 14,657 fans.

It didn't exactly pick up the Angels' spirits on a day when they learned that Mark Langston will be lost for 6-8 weeks following knee surgery today to repair torn cartilage.

Another change in the rotation was mandated by the woeful performances of Phil Leftwich in two starts. On his way to Triple-A Vancouver Tuesday, he requisitioned an extra-large trunk to make room for his 7.36 ERA.

But the Angels' alternatives leave something to be desired. They will plug the Langston and Leftwich slots with the dubious talents of Dennis Springer and Scott Sanderson - combined effort this year: 0-1, 9.19.

And then there's Abbott (1-5). He was tagged for all five Royals runs over a period of three innings, the most deflating blow a two-run home run by Joe Vitiello that broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth.

The Angels have collected 16 home runs in their last eight games, including solo shots on this night from Tim Salmon and Randy Velarde, but they lost for a second straight night because their pitching couldn't keep up.

There had been hope that Langston's injury could be weathered without surgery, but Dr. Lewis Yocum, scheduled an arthroscope. According to trainer Ned Bergert, the procedure will involve a snipping off of the torn piece of cartilage.

The Angels filled the Langston and Leftwich roster spots with pitchers Todd Frohwirth and Ben VanRyn, both up from Vancouver. But those promotions represented emergency aid for the bullpen, which worked 13-2/3 of 18 innings in games played Sunday and Monday.

The two youngsters will likely be gone by the weekend to create roster vacancies for Springer and Sanderson. Oh boy.

Springer, a 31-year-old knuckleballer out of the Dodgers organization, compiled a 10.39 ERA in four relief appearances with the Angels earlier this season, though he since has been successful in Triple-A, posting a 3-0 record and 1.66 ERA in three starts.

Sanderson, who has already required two assignments to the disabled list because of shoulder and groin injuries, has a 0-1 record over three starts, with a yield of 22 hits and 11 earned runs in only 11-1/3 innings of work.

Shawn Boskie, who pitched superbly in relief of Langston on Sunday, would seem a better candidate for the rotation than either of these two. But Lachemann holds a contrary view.

``You don't have to be a Phi Beta Kappa to see that his numbers have been better out of the pen,'' the manager said.

Indeed, Boskie has a 2.16 ERA for his 16-2/3 innings out of the bullpen (Lachemann counts the emergency work Sunday), as opposed to a 6.50 ERA over three games when he was in the starting rotation.

Amid all the bad news Tuesday, the Angels were relieved to hear that the stinging sensation relief pitcher Bryan Harvey felt in his elbow during a workout Monday was not a blowout of his Tommy John reconstruction. X-rays indicated that it was just a breakdown of scar tissue.