Abbott Finally Gets Some Help : Angels: Rookie Curtis chips in with homer and RBI double. Harvey saves 2-1 victory over Blue Jays.

In the 10 days since Jim Abbott opposed Todd Stottlemyre and absorbed a dispiriting loss when he walked in Toronto’s only run, Abbott had ample time to think about their rematch Saturday night.

“I felt like saying to him before the game, ‘I’m looking for a new dance partner.’ Mentally, I just felt drained,” Abbott said after a 2-1 victory. “I thought a lot about this game and it kind of took its toll.”

By contrast, Chad Curtis had only a few hours to contemplate Saturday’s game, since he learned only when he got to Anaheim Stadium that Junior Felix had sprained an ankle and left a spot open in center field. “I was prepared,” Curtis said. “I always come to the ballpark hoping to play.”

Abbott was glad Curtis’ wish came true. The rookie outfielder was Abbott’s sole offensive support in the Angels’ victory, driving in the first run on his first major league home run and accounting for the game-winner with a double to right-center in the sixth inning.

That enabled Abbott (2-4) to record his first victory since his second start of the season, on April 13, and lift the Angels four games above .500 (17-13) for the first time since they were 52-48 last July 31. The Angels’ four-game winning streak matches their longest of the season, and they are above .500 at home for the first time since last July 18, when they were 24-23.

“Two runs was enough for tonight,” said Abbott, who had received that much support in his previous 21 innings. That included the 1-0 loss to Stottlemyre (4-2) and the Blue Jays April 29 at the SkyDome, when Abbott walked Pat Tabler with the bases loaded.

“You’ve got to take your hat off to Chad Curtis,” Abbott added after his seven-inning, nine-strikeout performance before an appreciative crowd of 36,159. “He did a fantastic job with that home run and that clutch hit. He was great.”

Abbott yielded a run in the fourth on singles by Roberto Alomar and Dave Winfield and a sacrifice fly by Kelly Gruber. Although he tired in the sixth and seventh, he refused to yield anything more.

“It was another great one by Jim Abbott, just like last time,” said Winfield, whose single extended his hitting streak to 17 games, the longest of his career and the longest in the major leagues this season.

“He pitched a heartbreaker last time. He exacted a little bit, if not revenge, satisfaction. That game (in Toronto) was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen from a pitcher. I know him well enough that I told the guys, ‘He’ll pitch another good game. Be ready.’ ”

Abbott was ready to keep going after seven innings. But his fatigue convinced him to give way to Bryan Harvey, who gave up one hit over two innings to earn his 10th save in 11 opportunities.

Abbott’s tussles with the Blue Jays were nothing compared with the tussle endured by the Angel batboy who tried to retrieve Curtis’ home-run ball from the fan who caught it in the left-field seats. The fan refused an initial offer of a souvenir ball, finally exchanging the home run ball for another ball and a bat.

Whatever the price, it was worth it. The run was the first given Abbott by the Angels in 24 innings against the Blue Jays, and Curtis was delighted to supply it.

“It’s really been frustrating for us as a team not supporting Jim,” Curtis said. “We know all we’ve got to do is score a couple of runs for him--three, four runs, and we’re going to win. It’s good that we’re going to start supporting him.”

Abbott hopes that support continues for his fellow pitchers.

“We’ve won a few in a row and we’ve had good pitching since Joe Grahe took the mound in Detroit,” he said, referring to a seven-inning no-decision outing by Grahe on Tuesday. “Buck Rodgers is a talented manager who’s going to make things happen. I’ll take my chances with all those things.”

Rodgers, whose club has won its five four home games, said the Angels can take heart from defeating the AL East-leading Blue Jays.

“It’s got to make everybody on this ballclub feel like we’re not too shabby,” he said. “But we can’t sit on it. It doesn’t matter who we play, we’ve got to play our game whether it’s the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers or Toronto Blue Jays.”