Trouble for Phillips, Angels

A tough day never got any better for the Angels.

It began with the arrest of Tony Phillips for cocaine possession and ended with Tim Salmon’s broken-bat ground ball in the Angels’ 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles Sunday in front of 34,060 at Anaheim Stadium.

Angel players refused to discuss the arrest of their leadoff hitter.

“I only want to talk about the game,” Salmon said.

In the game, there was a sort-of-good, sort-of-not performance by starter Ken Hill, who was making his third start since being acquired in a trade with Texas.

There was Mike James giving up a two-run homer to Cal Ripken, which erased a 3-2 Angel lead in the eighth.

There was Salmon, who continues to be the Angels’ most productive hitter with two runs batted in, being left with splinters in his hand by a Randy Myers pitch in the ninth.

When the long day’s journey into night was over, about all the Angels could say was they were still in first place in the American League West, a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners.

“There’s really not much you can say when Cal Ripken hits a two-run homer to beat you,” Manager Terry Collins said. “They are an outstanding team.”

True enough. The Orioles, who have the best record in the major leagues (72-41), took two of three from the Angels over the weekend.

“You have to be good at every aspect of the game when you play them,” Salmon said. “[Starting] pitching, defense, bullpen.”

The defense was fine. The others had some glitches.

Hill lasted 5 2/3 innings, but again had problems. He walked six, reminiscent of his Angel debut when he walked seven against Cleveland. He left after walking Harold Baines and Mike Bordick to load the bases in the sixth.

The Angels trailed 2-1 at the time, not that Hill was taking any solace in keeping the game close.

“A lot of it is mental,” Hill said. “I’m trying to make every pitch perfect. Mentally, I kept the game close, but I’m not happy with it. I have to get my mind together.”

James, on the other hand, needs some physical adjustment, as his pitches came in flat. He was brought in with one out and one on in the eighth. Ripken hit a 3-1 pitch an estimated 422 feet over the center-field fence.

“Mike feels fine,” Collins said. “The ball just isn’t sinking for him. Once it does, you’ll see the old Mike James.”

The Angels could not afford such pitching problems, not against the Orioles.

Offensively, the Angels made do with a little power against Oriole starter Jimmy Key. Salmon homered in the second, his 21st of the season. Todd Greene homered in the sixth to tie it at 2-2.

It was Greene’s passed ball in the fifth that led to the Orioles’ second run. Bordick, who had doubled, reached third on the passed ball and scored on Jeff Reboulet’s sacrifice fly to right.

Brady Anderson’s third-inning home run was the only other run Hill gave up.

Hill was helped by some good defensive plays, including one he made to get out of trouble in the second. Geronimo Berroa and Rafael Palmeiro led off with back-to-back singles. But shortstop Gary DiSarcina ranged behind second to field a Ripken grounder and start a double play.

First baseman Darin Erstad then dived to his right to stop a Baines grounder. Erstad threw high to Hill, but he was able to extend himself and get a toe on the bag.

“You have to play these guys tough,” Salmon said. “You can’t let up.”

The Angels didn’t and appeared to be in position to win after turning two infield hits into a run in the seventh.

DiSarcina led off with a single off Key’s foot and was worked over to third base by a sacrifice and a ground out. Salmon then hit a ground ball off the third base bag. Ripken backhanded it, but had no play.

It gave the Angels a 3-2 lead, but the long day wasn’t over. When it was, the Angels had lost a game, which is all they wanted to talk about.

“I was able to lock [Tony’s situation] out of my mind,” Salmon said. “I was focused on the game.”