ANGELS BLOW LEAD IN OPENER : BOSTON 6, ANGELS 5.Byline: Marc J. Spears Daily News Staff Writer The year 1986 is still engrained with horror in the minds of Angels fans. Dave Henderson's home run with the Angels just a strike away from the World Series turned a lead into eventual elimination. Images of that disaster resurfaced during the Angels' opening-night 6-5 debacle in front of 30,874 spectators at Anaheim Stadium on Wednesday. The Angels held a 5-2 lead with two outs in the ninth inning before collapsing to Boston for their third consecutive season-opening loss. The Angels had a chance to come back with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth, but pinch-hitter Jorge Fabregas popped out to center. After striking out the first two batters in the ninth, Angels reliever Troy Percival's control problems got him into a ditch that he couldn't climb out of. Last year's All-Star allowed two hits, two walks and four earned runs in the ninth to give the Red Sox their first lead of the game. ``I was very composed and very focused the first few hitters,'' Percival said. ``Then I let my composure get away from me. It was a mental breakdown For the EP by Black Flag, a punk rock band, see . Mental breakdown (also known as nervous breakdown) is a non-medical term used to describe a sudden, acute attack of mental illness such as depression or anxiety. . I let down after I got two outs. ``It won't happen again. If I'm going to get beat, I'll get (beat) physically, not mentally. That is a bunch of crap.'' Percival's demise overshadowed a steady outing by starting pitcher Noun 1. starting pitcher - (baseball) a pitcher who starts in a baseball game baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; Mark Langston n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Luis Alicea Luis René Alicea de Jesús (born July 29, 1965 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball and a current coach for the Boston Red Sox. Alicea played for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Anaheim Angels, St. . Langston allowed just one run, three hits and struck out six in six innings. Alicea went 2 for 4 with two RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in . The Angels were encouraged by their offense. In all, seven different Angels collected hits. ``Two out, nobody on in the ninth,'' said Angel manager Terry Collins. ``Troy Percival Troy Eugene Percival (born August 9, 1969 in Fontana, California) is a Major League Baseball reliever on the St. Louis Cardinals. Percival came out of retirement on June 8, 2007 when he signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals[1]. on the mound. I'll take that every night. A three-run lead, I'll take my chances. ``He threw the ball well. He felt fine. He was 0-2 on a couple of guys. He just overthrew and several balls got away from him.'' The Angels were dealt a frustrating blow before the game when they learned that second baseman Randy Velarde Velarde will have surgery on Tuesday to repair the medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament or MCL (or tibial collateral ligament) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial or inner side of the joint. on the inside of his right elbow. The surgery will be performed by team doctor Lewis Yocum at Centinela Hospital in Inglewood. The 34-year-old is expected to miss 10-12 months. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Yocum, Velarde's best-case scenario is a six-month recovery. ``This is just such a fluke,'' Velarde said. ``It's really difficult to deal with. Especially at the start of the season. I was really looking forward to it.'' The 10-year veteran has a .264 career batting average and hit .285 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI during his first season with the Angels. He injured his arm throwing a ball from the outfield during a spring-training game against Milwaukee. Alicea will be backed up by utilityman Craig Grebeck. Despite the loss of Velarde, the Angels took an early lead on the Red Sox. With two outs and a full count in the second, Jim Edmonds blasted a deep home run off Boston starter Tom Gordon into the right-field bleachers. The shot gave the Angels a 1-0 lead. In the seventh, Alicea proved a worthwhile free-agent acquisition with a two-RBI single, pushing the Angels lead to 4-1. Designated hitter Eddie Murray gave the Angels what seemed to be an insurance run and a 5-2 advantage when a left-field fly out brought in Dave Hollins. Notes: Chuck Finley will pitch in Single-A Lake Elsinore on Saturday at San Bernardino, according to Collins. The left-hander is recovering from a March 15 right eye orbital bone fracture and is expected to miss one or two starts. Finley had a 15-16 record with a 4.16 ERA in '96. During spring training, the 34-year earned a 5.40 ERA, gave up three earned runs and had two strikeouts in two starts. On Monday, Finley said that he would rather start the season in Lake Elsinore. He is also expected to pitch on the sideline at Anaheim Stadium today. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) New Angels manager Terry Collins has a pensive pen·sive adj. 1. Deeply, often wistfully or dreamily thoughtful. 2. Suggestive or expressive of melancholy thoughtfulness. look prior to the team's opener. Associated Press |
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