Rangers close home season with 9-2 loss

With nearly no chance to make the playoffs, the Anaheim Angels are playing for next year. <P><br>"We are doing whatever it takes to win a ballgame," Mo Vaughn said after hitting a grand slam and driving

Monday, September 25th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

With nearly no chance to make the playoffs, the Anaheim Angels are playing for next year.

"We are doing whatever it takes to win a ballgame," Mo Vaughn said after hitting a grand slam and driving in Sunday's 9-2 rout of the Texas Rangers. "Whatever happens, these are building blocks for next year. We are coming out and competing right until the very end."

Ramon Ortiz pitched a five-hitter for his second complete game of the season, Darin Ertad hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning and Troy Glaus followed with his league-leading 44th homer.

The Angels got just five hits, three of them homers.

"We pitched a five-hitter, but one was a grand slam," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. "We have to dig deep to send the season on a positive note."

Ortiz struck out five and walked two. His other complete game was a two-hitter against Boston on April 8.

"We didn't hit the ball the way we should have and we didn't play defense the way that we should have," the Rangers' Rafael Palmeiro said.

With the score 2-all, Darin Erstad hit a line-drive homer to right off Jonathan Johnson (1-1).

"You could hang a month's worth of clothes on that one," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That was a rope."

Glaus then tied the AL record for home runs by a third basemen, set by Cleveland's Al Rosen in 1953.

Glaus added an RBI grounder in the eighth and Vaughn hit his 36th homer, his second slam of the season and the 10th of his career.

Rangers starter Kenny Rogers walked a career-high eight in five innings - including his first three batters - giving up two runs and one hit in five innings with four strikeouts.

Anaheim went ahead in the first when Vaughn grounded into a run-scoring, double play following three straight full-count walks. Rogers walked four in the inning, throwing 34 pitches.

After Rogers walked the bases loaded again in the third - two of them four-pitch walks - and Garret Anderson's sacrifice fly made it 2-0.

Randy Knorr homered in the bottom half, and Texas tied the score in the fourth on a bloop single by Ruben Sierra that dropped among shortstop Kevin Stocker, left fielder Ron Gant and Erstad, who was playing third.