ANGELS FRUSTRATION MOUNTS POOR EXECUTION LEADS TO 7TH STRAIGHT SERIES LOSS TORONTO 8, ANGELS 4, 10 INNINGS.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA  Staff Writer

ANAHEIM -- Tempers finally boiled over for the Angels on Thursday after a humiliating 8-4 defeat in 10innings to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Even before the game had ended there was a dispute in the dugout that manager Mike Scioscia declined to address. That dust-up appeared to involve Chone Figgins. But there was no denying the raised voices that came from a restricted area in the clubhouse as well as Darin Erstad's effort to restore order.

When the shouting started, an Angels representative shut the door in Scioscia's office with reporters inside. Erstad's raised voice still could be heard.

``It's got to stop right ... now,'' Erstad could be heard shouting. ``No finger pointing, nothing. It's over. I don't care who you are, we're going down together or we're going to win it together. Stop it. Nothing is going to get ... accomplished this way.''

Scioscia was asked about the shouting as it was going on outside his door.

``It's a tough loss,'' he said. There are a lot of guys in this room frustrated. The thing is, these guys want to win. We just have to stick together and play our game. That's what we have to do.''

At one point, Erstad shouted in defense of Adam Kennedy, saying the second baseman was well aware of his missed opportunities. Kennedy failed on a sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning and made the first out in the ninth on a shallow fly ball to left field with the winning run at third.

``I don't think it was anything serious; guys just want to win, that's all,'' Kennedy said after tempers had somewhat cooled. ``I just wasn't getting a god read on the fastball. I just didn't have a good approach. I didn't have the right approach against them.''

Erstad declined to comment.

``You boys, that's none of your business,'' Erstad said. ``Sorry guys. You know I'm good for a quote but this is one I have to let go.''

The Angels appeared to have it won in the ninth inning with the scored tied 4-4. Figgins hit an infield single and then stole second base and was bunted to third by Tommy Murphy. With nobody out, it all seemed a preface to victory until Kennedy flew out to short left field, Orlando Cabrera popped out and Tim Salmon struck out looking after Vladimir Guerrero was intentionally walked.

Figgins didn't start, the first time in 41 games he had been held out of the starting lineup. Mired in offensive and defensive slumps, he didn't enter the game until the seventh inning as a pinch runner for Robb Quinlan.

The Blue Jays took the lead in the 10th inning off Francisco Rodriguez (0-1) with an RBI double by Aaron Hill and a two-run single by Russ Adams. The fourth run was scored by Adams thanks to an error by Guerrero in right field.

The Angels failed to win a series for the seventh consecutive time and have lost two series to the Blue Jays in that span. The last time the Angels won a series was May 24-26 against the Detroit Tigers, who just moved into first place in the American League Central.

There was more than just poor clutch hitting. This one turned into a mess because of a botched play at first base that led to a dropped fly ball in the outfield to let the Blue Jays score a run in the seventh inning.

There was also the decision to have rookie Mike Napoli try a suicide squeeze bunt in a tie game in the eighth inning even though he had three hits in his first three at-bats. He popped up the bunt back to the pitcher for an inning-ending double play.

The Angels were unfazed by Roy Halladay. In the third, just after the Blue Jays had taken a 1-0 lead, Napoli started things with a leadoff single and after Quinlan and Murphy struck out, the Angels put together three consecutive hits for three runs.

Kennedy gave the Angels their first run with a double to right-center and Cabrera followed with an RBI single to center for a 2-1 lead. Guerrero made it three consecutive hits, but not until after he hit the dirt.

Halladay came inside on Guerrero with a fastball under his chin, and he fell to the dirt as he spun away. Cabrera advanced to second on the wild pitch. On the very next pitch, Guerrero punched a single through the right side of the infield to score Cabrera for a 3-1 lead.

The Blue Jays tied the score 3-3 in the sixth inning off Angels starter John Lackey on back-to-back RBI doubles by Lyle Overbay and Alex Rios.

With Lackey gone in the seventh inning, reliever Brendan Donnelly was backed by more bad defense. Reed Johnson opened the inning with a double and moved to third on a one-out single by Vernon Wells that came about only because Donnelly and first baseman Quinlan tried to field a slow roller with nobody covering the bag.

Troy Glaus followed with a pop-up to short right field that Guerrero ran under but then dropped. Johnson scored for a 4-3 Blue Jays lead, and Guerrero avoided an error only because he was able to get a force out on Wells at second.

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Photo:

Vladimir Guerrero, left, drops a fly ball hit by Toronto's Troy Glaus that scored a run in the seventh.

Francis Specker/Associated Press

Box:

ANGELS at DODGERS

-Doug Padilla