ANGELS' RALLY BID COMES UP SHORT LAST RESERVE HAS HARD-LUCK DAY IN FIELD, AT PLATE SEATTLE 7, ANGELS 6.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Julio Ramirez is regarded as the last man on the Angels' bench, but he might get bumped off the bench completely if Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners is taken into consideration.

The Angels will have to make some roster moves soon with players coming back from injuries, and Ramirez's place on the team might have been in doubt anyway. But he certainly didn't help his cause in two forgettable innings of the Angels' 7-6 loss in front of 28,942 at Edison Field.

Ramirez entered the game as a pinch runner for Tim Salmon in the bottom of the eighth inning after Salmon had singled home a run to cut the Mariners' lead to 5-3. With Ramirez on first, Scott Spiezio on second and nobody out, the Angels appeared on the verge of mounting another late-inning rally.

Garret Anderson followed with a sharp single to right field, but with nobody out, third-base coach Ron Roenicke held Spiezio at third. Ramirez, however, kept going to third and was thrown out trying to scramble back to second.

The Angels eventually tied the game on Shawn Wooten's two-run single, but Ramirez's blunder cost the Angels at least one run and maybe more.

``You can't run with your head down,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``It's a fundamental mistake, especially when you have more speed than the guy in front of you, you have to have your head up so you can see what's happening. He made the turn with his head down. When you do that, you get yourself in trouble.''

Then in the top of the ninth, Bret Boone led off with what should have been a single to left-center. But Boone hustled for second and Ramirez's rushed throw was off line. John Olerud followed with a single to center and Ramirez's throw home hit the pitcher's mound and bounced to the backstop for an error as Boone scored to give the Mariners a 6-5 lead.

The Mariners added another run off Troy Percival in the inning and took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth when the Angels mounted another rally. David Eckstein doubled, took third on a passed ball and scored on a single by Spiezio.

Up next was Ramirez, who was called upon to bunt Spiezio, the potential tying run, to second base. But Ramirez popped up the bunt in foul territory, and it was caught by catcher Dan Wilson for the second out.

It proved costly when one out later Troy Glaus singled to right field. Instead of tying the game, Spiezio could go only to second. Brad Fullmer then struck out against Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki to end the game and the Mariners took two of three in the series.

``I don't think anyone in the world feels worse than Julio,'' Scioscia said. ``It's an important position in the outfield and an important bunt he has to get down. He'll be OK, but it takes getting back to the basics and fundamentals.''

Ramirez refused comment after the game.

Ex-Angel Shigetoshi Hasegawa (1-0) got the victory over Percival (0-1) as the Angels fell below .500 at 9-10. The Angels outhit the Mariners 14-11 as Spiezio and Anderson each had three hits in a losing effort.

Angels starter Jarrod Washburn pitched into the seventh inning but gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings and said he didn't have any life on his fastball.

``The good thing is we're not too far back because we've been playing terrible,'' Washburn said, noting the Angels are only two games out of first. ``We might've been playing better last year when we were 6-14.

``Last year when we were 6-14 we weren't playing that badly, but this year we're making mistakes that aren't typical of our team. Usually we're very good fundamentally. For the most part, I don't think anyone is pleased with the way we're playing baseball right now.''

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Photo:

Seattle's John Olerud slides safely into third base as the ball sails over Troy Glaus for a throwing error in the ninth inning.

Ric Francis/Associated Press