Angels’ Butcher Can’t Get It Done This Time

Mike Butcher earned the nickname “Vulture” this season for the way he has swooped into close games, retired a batter or two and sat back and watched his teammates rally to give him the victory.

Wednesday night, the Angel reliever got a taste of Vulture Shock.

Relieving Russ Springer with a one-run lead in the seventh, Butcher gave up a bases-empty home run to No. 9 hitter Pat Meares and a three-run homer to Scott Leius as the Minnesota Twins rallied for an 8-5 victory before a paid crowd of 13,464 in Anaheim Stadium.

The loss dropped Butcher to 5-1 and prevented him from becoming the first pitcher in Angel history to open a season 6-0.

The Angels tried their best to take Butcher off the hook. They loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the seventh but managed only one run on Chili Davis’ double-play ball. Pinch-hitter Rex Hudler flied to center to end the inning.

Minnesota, which has allowed the most home runs in the major leagues (79), extended its lead to 8-5 on Jerald Clark’s bases-empty shot to center off reliever Bob Patterson in the eighth.

Gary DiSarcina and Tony Phillips, who went 5 for 5, each singled with two out in the eighth for the Angels, but Jim Edmonds, who had two hits and three runs batted in, struck out. Rick Aguilera pitched a scoreless ninth for his ninth save.

The loss left Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann with at least two perplexing questions:

--What to do with Springer?

Brian Anderson, who made his last rehabilitation start for Class-A Lake Elsinore Wednesday night, is expected to replace Springer in the rotation Monday, but Springer may have saved himself from a demotion to triple-A Vancouver.

The right-hander, who gave up four home runs in last Friday’s loss at Baltimore, pitched six strong innings against the Twins Wednesday night, allowing eight hits, three runs (two earned) and striking out a career-high seven.

His control was excellent--he walked none--and he mixed his pitches well enough to catch four Twins looking at called third strikes. More important, he did not make the kind of mistakes that have hurt him in the past--namely, making fat pitches that become home runs.

“Brian is going to pitch, but there’s plenty of room on this staff for people who are going to get people out,” Lachemann said. “We could go with 12 [instead of 11] pitchers . . . there’s a lot of things we could do [to keep Springer in Anaheim].”

--What to do with Phillips?

The versatile Phillips started at third base again, giving rookie Garret Anderson another start in left field, but the game may have dampened any thoughts Lachemann has of making it permanent.

Anderson, whose three-run homer propelled the Angels to victory Tuesday night, went hitless in three at bats, and Phillips showed he’s no Brooks Robinson at third.

Phillips couldn’t handle Pedro Munoz’s high hopper in the first inning, as the ball kicked off the heel of his glove for an error that helped the Twins score an unearned run.

And he nearly mishandled a play on Kirby Puckett’s grounder in the fifth, making a nice, back-hand grab of the ball but throwing a weak one-hopper that first baseman J.T. Snow had to dig out.

But Phillips handled just about everything Minnesota starter Scott Erickson had to offer, doubling and scoring in the first inning, singling home a run in the second, doubling in the fourth and singling and scoring in the seventh.

He also singled off reliever Dave Stevens in the eighth for his first five-hit game since May 16, 1986 at Baltimore.

The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the first on Chuck Knoblauch’s single, Puckett’s RBI double and Scott Stahoviak’s RBI double, which one-hopped the center-field wall and forced Munoz, who was on first and would have scored easily, to stop at third. Clark popped out to end the inning.

The Angels countered with a run in the bottom of the first when Phillips looped a double to left, stole third and scored on Edmonds’ groundout, and added three in the second to take a 4-2 lead.

Spike Owen led off with a walk, Erickson couldn’t field Jorge Fabregas’ dribbler, which went for a single, and DiSarcina blooped a single to center to load the bases.

Phillips singled for one run and Edmonds followed with a two-run single before Tim Salmon grounded into a double play to end the inning.