ANGELS WILL STICK WITH RAPP SCIOSCIA SAYS HE'S NOT GIVEN UP ON THE INCONSISTENT RIGHT-HANDER CLEVELAND 4, ANGELS 2.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

CLEVELAND - Angels pitcher Pat Rapp was not a happy man Saturday afternoon, not after another loss, not after another home run by Juan Gonzalez, and especially not after getting pulled from the game with one out in the seventh inning.

Rapp became a 10-game loser after the Angels dropped a 4-2 decision to the Cleveland Indians before 42,610 at Jacobs Field. With the loss, the Angels fell six games behind Oakland in the wild-card race.

Rapp (5-10) didn't pitch poorly, allowing only five hits in 6 1/3 innings. But he gave up the wrong hits at the wrong times, then stormed off the mound after getting the hook from manager Mike Scioscia. It resulted in a postgame meeting involving Rapp, Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black that lasted about 20 minutes.

``When you've pitched as well as he has and you don't have a lot to show for it ...'' Scioscia said. ``Our confidence is there with him or he wouldn't be getting the ball every fifth day. Sometimes it's good to just talk to him. He'll be back out there five days from now.''

Rapp made only 99 pitches and thought he should have been given a chance to finish the inning but wouldn't criticize Scioscia.

``I overreacted a little bit,'' Rapp said. ``I just wanted to stay in. (Scioscia) knew I was (upset) when I came out. He's not upset; I have a right to be upset when I'm taken out. But it's a team game and he's doing what's best for the team. He's the manager. It's his way, not mine.''

Scioscia explained he liked the matchups in the seventh with the left-handed Mike Holtz in the game. It worked, as Holtz got out of the inning, but the damage already had been done.

Rapp got the first two outs of the first inning before he walked Roberto Alomar on a 3-2 pitch. He fell behind 2-0 to Gonzalez, who then reached out and hit a pitch off the outside corner over the fence in right field for a two-run homer.

The Angels tied the game in the second inning on Tim Salmon's two-run homer off Indians starter C.C. Sabathia (13-4). It was one of only three hits the Angels had off the 21-year-old left-hander in 6 2/3 innings.

The Indians broke the tie in the third, again after a two-out walk to Alomar. This time, Gonzalez blooped an RBI single to right field. Ellis Burks followed with an RBI single for a 4-2 lead and neither team scored the rest of the way.

``Juan's got my number,'' Rapp said. ``I kept walking guys in front of him to get to him, not on purpose. He's going to hit 'em hard, hit 'em soft, and every time they drop in there.

``He can hit every pitch. You throw it a foot outside and he still hits it out to right field. You throw him inside and he'll jack it down the left-field line.''

Gonzalez is now hitting .600 (12 for 20) with three homers and 15 RBI against Rapp. But what hurt Rapp and the Angels as much as Gonzalez were Rapp's walks. He walked four, three of which scored.

``You can't walk anybody before (Gonzalez),'' catcher Bengie Molina said. ``You gotta come right after that guy.''

Rapp complained that home-plate umpire Mark Hirschbeck called the same pitches balls on some hitters that were called strikes on others. But it didn't really matter the way Sabathia was pitching.

Other than the homer to Salmon, Sabathia allowed only singles to Garret Anderson and Salmon before leaving with two outs in the seventh. Danny Baez (1 1/3 innings) and Bob Wickman (21st save) finished it off.

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Angels pitcher Pat Rapp tosses a ball in the air after giving up a first-inning home run Saturday afternoon to to the Cleveland Indians' Juan Gonzalez at Jacobs Field. Rapp and the Angels lost 4-2.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press