Angels 10, Tigers 6

DETROIT (AP) Detroit manager Alan Trammell could be excused if he covers his eyes when the woeful Tigers take field.

``It's been one of those years that I really can't describe,'' Trammel said Thursday night after a 10-7 loss to Anaheim. ``I've been saying the same thing for the past three or four months.''

Detroit (31-95) has lost nine straight games for the third time this season and is 6-28 since the All-Star break. The Tigers are the first team with three losing streaks of nine or more since the 1998 Florida Marlins, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Marlins had an 11-game skid and two nine-game slides.

``It is what it is, I don't like that, and I wanted it to stay at one,'' Trammell said. ``Then it went to two and on. Now, if we don't stop it, it will be double digits and it's our longest of the season.''

Anaheim's Scott Spiezio hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning, and Jeff DaVanon homered and doubled to help the Angeles snap a a three-game losing streak.

``I think everybody on the team had a nice night at the plate,'' Spiezio said. ``Had some pretty key at-bats up and down the lineup. The guys did a good job.''

With the score 5-all, Garret Anderson and Tim Salmon singled off Matt Roney (1-9) and Spiezio doubled down the left-field line.

``They're a young team,'' Spiezio said of the Tigers. ``I'm sure they're not really looking at the win-loss record, they're just looking at trying to improve.''

Anaheim added three runs in the ninth on Adam Riggs' RBI triple and Bengie Molina's two-run double.

Aaron Sele (7-9) allowed five runs and six hits in six innings.

Frankie Rodriguez pitched a scoreless seventh and Brendan Donnelly allowed an unearned run in the eighth when Riggs misplayed Kevin Witt's grounder to first for an error.

After Anaheim's Troy Percival walked the bases loaded in the ninth, Bobby Higginson hit a one-out sacrifice fly to the warning track. Percival reloaded the bases with his fourth walk of the inning, but Ben Petrick hit into a game-ending forceout.

``I stunk. Plain and simple. It's not the first time,'' Percival said. ``I've been struggling a little bit with my command lately, and I've been working on stuff. I wasn't very good.''

Shane Loux, making his first major league start since Sept. 24, gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings.

Anaheim built a 3-0 lead on Salmon's RBI single in the first, Adam Kennedy's run-scoring single in the second and DaVanon's homer leading off the third.

Detroit went ahead with a five-run fourth, which matched its season high for runs in an inning.

Dmitri Young drove in a run with single, Craig Monroe was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Warren Morris hit a two-run single and Brandon Inge had an groundout.

Anderson hit an RBI double in the fifth, and Figgins hit a run-scoring grounder off Roney in the sixth.< ^Notes:@ The Tigers streak of scoreless innings reached 13 before Young's RBI single in the fourth. ... It was the sixth time this season the Tigers have scored five runs in an inning. ... The Angels have won the last 12 games between the teams.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)