RIPKEN'S DAY ISN'T SPOILED FOR ANGELS, IT'S ANOTHER STORY BALTIMORE 1, ANGELS 0.

Byline: Gordon Verrell Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - It might as well have been Cal Ripken Jr. Day at Edison Field on Sunday, the final game in Anaheim for the retiring longtime star of the Baltimore Orioles, and the Angels weren't about to spoil the party.

They seemed almost in as much awe as the 35,053 fans, who showered Ripken with standing ovations each of his four times at the plate, even when he struck out in the ninth inning, his last at-bat here. They cheered well into the next hitter's turn.

The Angels like to think they're in the American League wild-card race, but instead of perhaps turning up the heat a little, they came up empty, losing 1-0 to an outfit that managed just its fifth win in the past 24 games.

The last time the Orioles won a 1-0 game in Anaheim was 26 years ago, Mike Cuellar over Bill Singer, and Ripken was seven years away from beginning his legendary consecutive-games playing streak that lasted 14 years and 2,632 games.

So, the Angels said so long to Cal on Sunday, and later this week they'll say hello to Nomar and Hideo in Boston and, when they get to New York, Roger the Rocket.

The Angels' Rocket, Ismael Valdes, certainly pitched well enough Sunday, allowing only five hits in eight innings. But he was beaten the only time he gave up two hits in an inning, the sixth, on a two-out single by Chris Richard and a run-scoring double to right-center by Jeff Conine.

The Angels, meantime, were completely baffled by the Orioles' Jose Mercedes, someone they lathered last week in Baltimore, knocking him out after only three innings and winning 9-4. This time Mercedes cruised: six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

``He didn't make mistakes this time,'' the Angels' Tim Salmon said. ``He keeps you off balance. He changes speeds a lot.''

Salmon came the closest to scoring, attempting to come home from third on Bengie Molina's fly to shallow center in the second inning. He appeared to have made it, but plate umpire Derryl Cousins ruled otherwise.

``I didn't feel anything,'' Salmon said later. ``I thought I avoided (the tag).''

So did Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who raced out to argue but to no avail.

``I don't go out if I don't think he's in there,'' Scioscia said. ``I thought (catcher Brook Fordyce) missed the tag. But there's nothing you can do about it.''

That was it. The Angels didn't get anyone past second the rest of the evening, coming away with their ninth shutout loss of the season, the most in the AL and four more than they had all last year.

So, after going 8-4 the past two weeks against the dregs of the AL East - Tampa Bay and Baltimore - the Angels, seven games off the wild-card lead, will try to step it up. They have three games in Boston against the second-place Red Sox, then four in New York against the AL East-leading Yankees.

``It doesn't matter who we're playing, or where,'' Scioscia was saying, ``it's how we're playing.

``That's the focus of our club. We've been doing a lot of things right the last three weeks - we did some things right (Sunday), we just didn't get the hits when we needed them - and we're not going to change our day- to-day operation because of who we're playing.''

Sunday the Angels were playing the Orioles, although it's doubtful more than a few fans could point out anyone besides No. 8, Cal Ripken.

``I've only seen him up close the last two years,'' said Scioscia, a lifetime National Leaguer until taking over the Angels last season.

``It was great the way the fans showed their appreciation for his efforts. They did that the whole series. It says a lot for our fans to recognize a great player.''

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Cal Ripken, playing in his final game in Anaheim, hits a double in the seventh inning.

John Hayes/Associated Press