ANGELS SEEK FRESH START; SLUMPING TEAM TAKES FRUSTRATIONS OUT ON ATHLETICS WITH BIG WIN.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

It was a fresh start, a chance for some healing.

After the Angels lost three in a row to the Texas Rangers earlier in the week, they got a chance to move onward with a three-game series against the Oakland A's, whom they swept last weekend.

The Angels were leading 8-6 in the top of the ninth before 8,570 at the Oakland Coliseum on Friday night.

No matter how discouraging the losses to the Rangers were, shortstop Gary DiSarcina said the Angels must realize there is still more than half the season remaining.

``It's a game where you have to file the disappointments real quickly or you'll end up dwelling on it for weeks,'' he said. ``You have to move on and accept the fact they pummeled us. You don't want to dig a hole, bury our heads in it and give up.''

With Tim Salmon and Jim Edmonds out of the lineup because of injuries, the Angels have little room for error, DiSarcina says.

``You can't . . . moan about what you don't have,'' he said. ``That's wasted energy. You have to do the little things when you're missing the big guys. Move runners over, and make sure you don't give a team four outs.''

DiSarcina had a chance to make a big play in the fifth inning Friday, but came up short. With the game tied at 4, the A's had Jason Giambi at third with two out. Ramon Hernandez hit a grounder up the middle that DiSarcina smothered, but his throw to first was late and Giambi scored to give the A's their first lead of the game, 5-4.

The Angels started Friday's game much like they did the last time they won a game, which also came against the A's and starter Kenny Rogers.

Last Sunday, the Angels began the first inning with five consecutive hits off Rogers on their way to four runs. Friday, they started with three hits in a row, leading to a two-run inning.

The four runs held up last Sunday, but the A's matched the two runs in the bottom of the first inning Friday, thanks to a controversial call by first-base ump Terry Craft.

With runners on first and second and one out, Matt Stairs hit a grounder to Mo Vaughn at first. Vaughn threw to DiSarcina at second for the force, and his relay to pitcher Steve Sparks covering first appeared to be in time. But instead of being the final out of the inning, Craft called Stairs safe.

Moments later, Angels pitching coach Dick Pole was ejected for arguing from the bench. And the A's took advantage by scoring two two-out runs to tie the game.

The Angels regained the lead in the second inning thanks to an error on Giambi, and increased the lead to 4-2 in the third on Reggie Williams' sacrifice fly.

But Giambi made amends in the fifth with a two-out, two-run double that tied the game, then gave the A's the lead when he scored on Hernandez's infield single.

The Texas series as much as anything showed the Angels how far they have to go. They were swept by scores of 9-1, 5-0 and 18-4.

``It showed me we have tough work to do,'' DiSarcina said. ``Obviously, we're not where we want to be. I don't care if we lose 3-1, 3-1, 3-1 or 15-2, 15-2, 15-2. The bottom line is we lost all three games and we lost ground.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: The Oakland A's Matt Stairs, left, scores around Angels pitcher Steve Sparks, who covered the plate on a passed ball.

Bob Galbraith/Associated Press