SIXTH LOSS IN ROW PUTS ANGELS ON RECORD PACE : CLEVELAND 4, ANGELS 3.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

It's no secret that this season has been a terrible one for the Angels, but just how terrible?

They lost to the Cleveland Indians 4-3 Wednesday night before 26,399 at Edison Field. It was the Angels' sixth loss in a row and dropped them to 46-67. At that pace, the Angels would finish with 96 losses, which would be the worst in the club's 39-year history.

The Angels lost 95 in 1968 and '80.

Roberto Alomar's two-run home run off Angels starter Steve Sparks in the sixth inning was the big hit of the night, but it wasn't the play of the game.

That happened later in the sixth inning when David Justice hit a fly ball to deep right field. Just as right fielder Tim Salmon was about to leap for the ball at the wall, a beach ball came out of the seats above him.

Obviously distracted, Salmon didn't make the catch, but he might not have had it anyway. Justice cruised into second base with a double and an irritated Salmon kicked the beach ball.

``Unbelievable, unbelievable,'' Angels manager Terry Collins said. ``There have been 500 beach bails on the field all year long, and one of them goes and falls on my outfielder right as he's going to catch the ball. Unbelievable. I hope they had a good time out there.''

Losses on the field might not be the only losses the Angels sustain before the end of the season. Peter Gammons, a columnist and baseball analyst for the Boston Globe and ESPN, is reporting that Angels general manager Bill Bavasi and manager Terry Collins might be fired by Labor Day. And he added that Collins' two-year contract extension wouldn't stop such a move. Bavasi's contract is up at the end of this season.

``When we take the field, you're being critiqued, you're being judged every day,'' Collins said.

At least Collins has something to fall back on. In 1979, he sold cars for a living. His playing career was going nowhere; he had been stuck at Triple-A Albuquerque for the previous four seasons and it was apparent he wasn't going to make it to the big leagues.

So he returned to his hometown of Midland, Mich., and worked on a car lot before returning to play for Albuquerque one more season.

``I wasn't any good,'' Collins said of his days as a car salesman. ``That's why I came back to baseball.''

Collins also spent time during the offseasons as a substitute teacher. ``I had to do something to make money in the winter time,'' he said.

Collins' American League-worst offense continues to hit as if it's swinging popsicle sticks. The Angels scored four runs in the three games against the Indians and have scored 11 runs during their six-game slide. However, theydidn get a two-run pinch homer from Todd Greene in the ninth.

Collins had to be happy with the way his starting pitcher was throwing. Sparks, changing speeds with his knuckleball, retired the first 10 batters he faced before Omar Vizquel singled with one out in the fourth inning. In the fifth, the Indians got on the scoreboard after Richie Sexon's one-out double. Ramirez - Alex, not Manny - doubled to left-center to score Sexon for a 1-0 Indians lead.