BOSTON — From Mike Scioscia to Bill Stoneman and Arte Moreno, the torch has been passed, the hot seat under the Angel manager doused and the one under the team’s general manager and owner lighted.

The Angels are suddenly making things unnecessarily difficult for themselves, a troubling development considering that it has happened in consecutive games against the last-place Seattle Mariners.

Angel investors are filling in investment gaps, as venture capitalists continue on a conservative investment path. For the first half of 2004, investments made by angel firms reached $12.4 billion, ...