ANGELS SEEK FRESH START; SLUMPING TEAM TAKES FRUSTRATIONS OUT ON ATHLETICS WITH BIG WIN : ANGELS 10 OAKLAND 6.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

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

After the Angels were embarrassed in losing 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 took their cue and beat the A's 10-6 before 8,570 at the Oakland Coliseum. The Angels scored what turned out to be the winning run not on a hit, but on a wild pitch.

Randy Velarde, who had four of the Angels' 14 hits, scored from third when Chad Harville's breaking ball got past catcher A.J. Hinch, giving the Angels a 7-6 lead with one out in the eighth inning. The Angels added three runs in the ninth to put the game away.

``(Third base coach Larry) Bowa reminded me, there were two strikes - look

for a ball in the dirt,'' Velarde said. ``And he was true to form.''

It was only the fifth time in the last 35 games the Angels have scored at least five runs in a game. Reliever Mark Petkovsek (7-2) earned the win over Harville (0-1).

``I'm proud of this team the way we bounced back,'' Velarde said. ``We were pretty much humiliated in the three-game series with Texas. We had our character on the wall today. I'm proud of the guys, we all were able to chip in. It was a tough victory.''

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 and never had a chance to win any of them.

``It showed me we have tough work to do,'' shortstop Gary 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.

``For me personally, it's disappointing because we were exposed in every facet where we are weak. We have a lot of work to do, it's a long road ahead of us.

That road started with Friday's game against Oakland. No matter how discouraging the losses to the Rangers were, 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.''

Angels third baseman Troy Glaus has struggled as much as any Angels hitter, entering Friday's game with only seven hits in his previous 57 at-bats. But his two-run double in the seventh inning turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead. It was only his third extra-base hit in 75 at-bats.

``We just kept pecking away and got guys on,'' manager Terry Collins said. ``We got big hits with guys in scoring position and it made a difference. Troy's hit really gave us a lift.''

But the A's came back again, tying the game at 6 on Hinch's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.

Velarde, who raised his average to .305, started the Angels' winning rally in the eighth with his third hit. He went to third on Mo Vaughn's single before coming home on the wild pitch.

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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