OFFENSE LACK-ING AGAIN ANGELS BACK LACKEY WITH FIVE HITS MINNESOTA 3, ANGELS 0.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - In the good old days, such as Game 4 of last season's American League Championship Series, John Lackey knew if he battled long enough, his teammates eventually would score some runs for him.

Nowadays, with the Angels' patchwork lineup more resembling their Triple-A affiliate than their 2002 championship squad, there are no such guarantees.

Lackey's record certainly reflects it.

The second-year right-hander gave the Angels eight solid innings Tuesday night but lost his 13th game when his team managed just five hits in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Edison Field.

Minnesota starter Brad Radke (10-10) pitched his eighth career shutout, retiring 13 consecutive batters heading into the ninth inning, when the Angels actually got the tying run to the plate.

But the game ended in lightning-quick fashion, as Tim Salmon waved at a full-count changeup and Chone Figgins was thrown out trying to steal third, sending the Angels (63-69) to their fifth loss in eight games.

Tuesday's game was a rematch of Game 4 from last year's ALCS, which pitted Lackey against Radke. That game was a scoreless tie until the seventh inning, when the Angels scratched two runs off Radke and eventually opened the floodgates for a 7-1 victory.

This year, of course, things are different. On Tuesday, 30-year-old rookie Adam Riggs batted sixth and the developing Figgins again batted leadoff.

And Lackey (8-13) received little offensive support. He pitched eight innings, gave up 10 hits but held the Twins to three runs and struck out five. Two of the runs came on homers by Jacque Jones (USC) and Luis Rivas.

The Angels responded with silence, just as they have in six of Lackey's past seven starts.

He received nine runs of support in Boston, but that was a night he gave up nine runs himself and the Angels lost 10-9. Throw out that start and Lackey has received two, zero, one, three, three and zero runs of support, so it's little wonder he's lost four of his past seven starts.

While Lackey expressed some frustration after his last outing, he didn't let it show Tuesday.

``It's a good lesson for any pitcher,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``The only thing you can control in the whole ballgame is your execution of pitches. At times, it's a good lesson that you're not always going to get run support, but if you execute pitches, you get outs.''

His chances of winning diminished even more Tuesday because the Twins started Radke, who came in 11-5 with a 1.84 ERA lifetime against the Angels.

They dinged Radke for four runs in a victory last month, but that was with Darin Erstad (.294 lifetime against Radke) and Troy Glaus (.308) in the lineup.

Tuesday's modest lineup was far less productive. Garret Anderson hit a first-inning double. Scott Spiezio singled in the second and fourth. Riggs ended the latter threat with a double play and that was it until the ninth, when Radke (10-10) earned a visit from manager Ron Gardenhire after Figgins and Anderson had singles.

No problem. He baffled Salmon on a full-count pitch, Figgins was caught at third and the confused crowd of 35,415 slowly headed toward the aisles.

Lackey didn't figure in the decision anyway, his fate sealed by an anemic offense.

``You know you have to pitch well,'' he said. ``You can't control anything else. You have to go out and execute. I just have to go out every five days and do the best I can.''

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

ANGELS vs. MINNESOTA

- Gabe Lacques