ANGELS MAINTAIN SPELL OVER A'S : ANGELS 7, OAKLAND 6.

Byline: Marc J. Spears Daily News Staff Writer

Just how dominant have the Angels been against the Oakland Athletics?

Well, let's just say they've resembled the Harlem Globetrotters' history with the Washington Generals over the years.

The Angels swept a four-game series with the A's by way of a 7-6 victory in front of 23,389 at Anaheim Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It was their seventh straight victory over Oakland, dating back to last season.

``Man, I wish we could have that kind of success against all the teams,'' said Angels reliever Pep Harris (1-2), who took the win after pitching just two-thirds of an inning. ``Just play well like we do against Oakland. It is just something about Oakland that makes us play well.

``Why? I don't know. I really don't know why? The way we are playing them right now, I wish we could play them every day.''

The victory kept the Angels 3-1/2 games behind front-runner Seattle in the divisional race and gave them a 1-1/2-game lead over Texas for second place.

The Angels were down 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh when the A's stepped in to help them.

After Darin Erstad opened the inning with a double, Dave Hollins followed with a single that put his teammate on third with no outs. When Hollins attempted to steal second base, A's catcher George Williams made a wild throw to second that scored Erstad to tie the game and moved Hollins to third.

Jim Edmonds followed with a game-winning single off Aaron Small (5-4), who took the loss.

``We are very bad at keeping the momentum,'' said A's manager Art Howe. ``Once we scored, they came back and took it away from us. It wasn't always our pitcher's fault and that is what hurt us all series.''

Edmonds, who has been hampered by torn cartilage in his left knee, played for the first time since Thursday against Oakland when he left the contest in the fifth with inflammation in the knee and a sore right thumb. Also, Erstad, who has been plagued with a problem left elbow, played first base for the first time since June 13 against the San Diego Padres.

The Angels received a see-saw performance from starter Chuck Finley, who allowed six hits and six runs (five earned) in 6-1/3 innings.

The good news was that the left-hander struck out 10, a season-high for the club. It was the 20th time in the 34-year-old's career that he reached double figures.

The bad news was that three of his six hits were homers. The trio of solos were launched by Damon Mashore, Geronimo Berroa and Jose Canseco. The three homers also tied a season high by an Angels starter (Allen Watson twice, Dennis Springer once).

``We needed innings out of (Finley),'' said Angels manager Terry Collins. ``We stayed with him for as long as we thought we could. He didn't give up a lot of hits, he just gave up big hits.''

Gary DiSarcina recorded his first RBI of the series in the fourth inning and had his first multihit game since June 13 against San Diego, going 2 for 4. Hollins, who hit a solo, 393-foot homer in the fifth, has hit nine of his 10 homers this season at home.

The A's attempted one last comeback in the ninth by loading the bases with two outs against closer Troy Percival. The reliever, however, earned his eighth save by getting Canseco to pop out to end the game.

Canseco and slugger Mark McGwire were a combined 4 for 29, with two RBI, in the series.

Today, the Angels will embark on a tough nine-game road trip. It includes three games against Texas (June 23-25), four against Seattle (June 26-29) and two interleague games against the Colorado Rockies (June 30 and July 1).

When asked about the trip, Collins said, ``Can I enjoy (Sunday). Can I just enjoy (Sunday) first?''

Notes: Angels outfielder Garret Anderson missed Sunday's game with the flu. In the last week and a half, the flu bug has hit Chuck Finley, Rich DeLucia, Allen Watson, Tim Salmon and Jim Leyritz. Leyritz missed games on Saturday and Sunday. . . . Double-A Midland first baseman Danny Buxbaum, right-handed pitcher Mike Bovee and catcher Bret Hemphill were all named Texas League All-Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Umpire John Shulock, face to face with manager Art Howe, warns A's players in the dugout after they jeered him over a disputed call.

Associated Press