ANAHEIM, Calif. – The days are dwindling down to a precious few. The Angels still believe there's enough time to save their season, but if there is, it's beginning to slip away.
Three days after they were positively positive about their chances, they are wobbly and uncertain, beaten three times in a row by a team that stands between them and one of two American League wild card spots. Every defeat creates more distance between them and the postseason.
"We're not that far away," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's one game that gets you untracked."
That game could have come Monday night. Or Tuesday. Or even Wednesday. But each time, the Oakland A's were the better team, leaving the Angels farther and farther away from their goal.
They are now 3½ games out of the second wild card berth after losing to the A's 4-1 at Angel Stadium. The only highlight was Albert Pujols' 30th home run of the season, a ninth-inning shot that came too late to help.
It had historical significance, however, giving Pujols 475 homers in his career and putting him in a 28th-place tie with Stan Musial and Willie Stargell on the all-time list. Pujols is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in his first 12 seasons in the big leagues.
A celebration would have usually been in order, but not this time. The Angels have lost three consecutive games after winning six in a row. They could have cut deeply into the A's wild card lead, but now they must play the rest of their games in a state of hope.
They have no more games left against any of the teams that are likely to qualify for the one-game play-in that starts the postseason – the A's, Orioles, Yankees or Rays. So in order to advance, they'll have to win and hope at least three of the teams in front of them lose.
That's no way to finish a season. But it's really all they have left.
"For us, it's really clear," Scioscia said. "We've been playing really good baseball the last 30 games or so. We need one good inning, one good game, to get us back untracked.
"We still have a chance to catch them, but we've got our work cut out for us. I know that every game that ticks off puts more focus on the next game, but we have to focus on playing good baseball and the wins will be there for us."
They haven't been in this series. Wednesday, they were beaten by another exceptional pitching performance, this one from rookie AJ Griffin, who became the first A's pitcher to start his career 6-0.
Griffin pitched a shutout through eight innings, and the Angels failed to make anything of their chances. They had one base runner thrown out at third and stranded three in scoring position, but it felt as if they never were in the game.
"The bottom line is that we've had opportunities, but we haven't taken advantage of them," Vernon Wells said. "When that happens, it puts you in the position we're in now."
The Angels haven't really mounted an offense in this series, despite scoring five runs in a failed comeback attempt Tuesday. Griffin worked himself out of a one-out jam with runners at first and third in the fourth, then retired 14 of the next 15 batters before handing the game to the bullpen. That's when Pujols struck.
"I think these guys are going out there playing free," Scioscia said. "Sometimes you're going to run into some pitching that shuts you down, and that's what we're seeing right now."
It's coming at the wrong time. After winning 11 of 12 games and looking like true contenders, the Angels are now sliding backward. Unless they apply the brakes to their skid, the season will slip away soon.
"A week ago, we were playing great baseball," Scioscia said. "Right now, we've hit a little bump in the road. It takes one good game to get you untracked. It takes one good inning."
The Angels could use some of that now.
