ANGELS' HILL INJURED IN LOSS : SEATTLE 8, ANGELS 3.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

It hardly qualifies as news, considering the frequency with which it happens. But that doesn't make the Angels feel any better about it.

Their game against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night featured an injury to another key player as the Angels saw the end of their two-game winning streak.

The Mariners beat the Angels 8-3 before 25,087 at the Kingdome, knocking the Angels 8-1/2 games behind first-place Texas in the AL West.

Until Wednesday, the Angels pitchers had been able to avoid the injury bug that has plagued the rest of the team. But starting pitcher Ken Hill, after giving up three runs in the second inning, didn't make it out for the third.

Hill, who had surgery to remove bone chips from the elbow June 15 of last season, had a ``tight right elbow,'' according to team trainers.

A trip to the disabled list for Hill seems likely and would require the Angels to find another starter. Mark Petkovsek, Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Scott Schoeneweis are candidates to leave the bullpen and join the rotation. But if the Angels decide to go to the minors, the favorite would be Mike Fyhrie, who is 8-3 with a 3.51 ERA at Triple-A Edmonton.

Hill's replacement Wednesday - Mike Magnante - gave up two runs in his first inning of work, yielding a two-out, two-run single to David Bell on an 0-2 pitch in the third.

It was the kind of clutch hitting the Angels haven't been getting.

The Angels scored in the first on Darin Erstad's leadoff homer (No. 7) and in the fourth on an RBI double by Matt Walbeck.

But they missed opportunities to get back in the game later in the fourth and again in the fifth. With runners on second and third with two out in the fourth, Gary DiSarcina grounded out.

In the fifth, the Angels had runners on second and third with one out, but Todd Greene struck out and Garret Anderson grounded out. In that inning, Mo Vaughn doubled to center, his first extra-base hit since a home run on June 12 against Arizona's Andy Benes. And it was only Vaughn's second extra-base hit in 20 games, going back to a home run off the Royals' Jose Rosado on May 30.

The Angels haven't scored five runs or more in a game since June 6, when the scored seven against the Dodgers, a string of 14 consecutive games. They've now scored four runs or fewer in 25 of their past 27 games.

In an effort to get some offense, Angels manager Terry Collins gave outfielder Matt Luke his fourth start since being promoted from Edmonton on June 13.

For Luke and the Angels, his arrival didn't come soon enough. While the Angels searched for offense, Luke was trying to recover from a strained back muscle that caused him to miss 2-1/2 months.

Luke has provided some much-needed punch, taking a .455 average (5 for 11) with two homers and three RBI into Wednesday's game. His hot start hasn't surprised him, considering he had some big hits for the Dodgers last year. He hit 12 homers in 102 games.

``I always believed I could play, but last year was a big stepping stone, confidence-wise,'' said Luke, 28. ``I was a rookie in there battling. I had 60-some starts and was put into every pressure situation imaginable.''

Luke made a big play in the field Tuesday, making a diving catch in right field for the third out of the eighth inning with the potential tying run on third base. On Wednesday, he made a catch while crashing into the left-field fence.

``Because of his injury, in spring training we didn't get a chance to see enough of him defensively,'' Collins said. ``He's played good in the outfield, but he hasn't played enough for us to get a feel for what he can do.''

But if Luke hits, it doesn't matter much how he plays the outfield. And Luke believes he can help if given the opportunity.

``Baseball's a profession which you have to continue to prove yourself and stay healthy,'' he said. ``When I have both of them the opportunities will be there. Having confidence is one more piece to the puzzle, and the hardest piece is believing in your ability. I have that.''