Chili Is Too Hot for Texas as Angels Pour It On, 11-2

It was a moment the Angels, their players and fans had grown accustomed to over the years. The superstar, the heart and soul of the team, and the club had come to a crossroads. A new contract needed to be negotiated and the bad vibes began to permeate Anaheim Stadium.

How would the Angels, who defeated the Texas Rangers, 11-2, Wednesday, blow it this time? Would they trade Chili Davis for three stiffs and a bucket of balls? Would they lose him to free agency and gain nothing in return?

This time, amazingly, the Angels did the right thing. They signed Davis last week to a three-year deal worth $11.4 million, meaning he will probably end his career as an Angel.

Wednesday, Davis once again showed why he’s worth the money. Five hits, including a three-run home run, and five runs batted in enabled the Angels to rout the Rangers before an announced paid crowd of 12,138 in Anaheim Stadium.

The victory, combined with Oakland’s victory over Seattle, lifted the Angels past the Mariners and into first place in the American League West, a position they haven’t held since May 29 of last year.

“I would much rather be in first at this point than at the bottom,” Davis said. “We’ve been at the bottom for too long.”

Although attendance remains sparse, at least the fans who showed Wednesday went away happy. They can thank Davis.

He doubled in the first inning, singled in the third, homered in the fourth, singled in the sixth and singled again the eighth. His five hits were a career high.

“The hitting gods were on me tonight,” Davis said.

But it’s not as if Davis has allowed himself to relax with his contract settled.

“The load is still there,” he said. “I still have to produce. I think when you get a deal like that, all eyes are on you.”

Said Manager Marcel Lachemann: “Talking to all the young kids (on the team), they were happy he signed, happy he’s going to be around a few more years.”

Lachemann noticed that Davis has relaxed since last week.

“The first night after he signed the contract, he tried to do too much,” Lachemann said. “After that, he’s settled in.”

By the sixth inning, Texas Manager Johnny Oates had seen enough of Davis and the Angels, inserting five substitutes into the game together, much as a basketball coach would in garbage time.

Angel starter Scott Sanderson added to the lopsided margin, holding Texas scoreless until the seventh inning.

By then, Davis made sure Sanderson would be a winner. Sanderson went seven innings, giving up one run and six hits with two strikeouts. He did not walk a batter.

Making his third start, Sanderson didn’t blow away the Rangers with his speed but kept them off balance with an assortment of breaking and off-speed pitches.

“When our bats kick on like tonight it makes our pitching and offense look pretty good, and that’s what happened tonight,” Sanderson said. “More than anything else, it was a case of jumping out to the early lead.”

A 9-0 lead after four innings didn’t hurt Sanderson’s chances for his first victory this season. The Angels were shut out, 3-0, by Toronto in his first start and lost to Oakland, 9-6, in his second.

Wednesday, they built their nine-run lead largely behind Davis’ two-run double and his three-run homer.

Texas starter Bob Tewksbury (1-1) gave up two runs in the first, two more in the third and the Angels broke the game open in the fourth with five more.

After five batters, four consecutive singles and two runs in the fourth, Tewksbury was gone, replaced by Wilson Heredia. Davis promptly homered to make it 9-0.