Red Sox Power Past the Angels

As mismatches go, Angel rookie right-hander Shad Williams versus Jose Canseco in the seventh inning Saturday at Anaheim Stadium was a doozy.

Not once, not twice, but three times Williams had retired Canseco on fly balls, carefully avoiding the pitfalls of pitching to the Boston Red Sox designated hitter.

But Canseco emerged the clear victor in their fourth confrontation, leading a 10-3 Red Sox victory by slamming a 1-and-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a three-run homer that proved to be the back-breaker.

Canseco’s blast turned a close game into a runaway, giving Boston a 7-1 lead that held up for starter Tom Gordon, who won his third consecutive game at Anaheim Stadium.

It also made Williams a loser in only his second major league start.

Certainly, the Angels couldn’t have hoped for more from Williams through six innings. He kept the score reasonably close, kept Canseco and first baseman Mo Vaughn quiet.

But he’s far from being a seasoned veteran and it showed against Canseco, who hit a line drive that skimmed over the wall near the 362-foot sign.

Soon enough, No. 2 starter Mark Langston will return to the rotation after recovering from knee surgery. There are indications right-hander Steve Ontiveros will be healthy soon and ready to pitch for the first time after battling elbow trouble.

For now, the Angels must make due with the likes of Williams.

Heck, Chuck Finley can’t pitch every night.

“I still had a little bit of butterflies,” Williams said. “It wasn’t as bad as the first start. As we go, I’ll lose the butterflies and gain confidence.”

Manager Marcel Lachemann was impressed enough by Williams to say he had earned another start. Lachemann also hinted he might have been better off going to the bullpen instead of letting Williams pitch to Canseco again.

“I probably tried to stretch him too far,” Lachemann said. “The kid pitched well. I can’t fault him.”

An infield single and third baseman Jack Howell’s two-base fielding error handed the Red Sox a 4-1 lead in the seventh. Lachemann had Williams walk Vaughn intentionally and Canseco made them pay.

“It’s not the ideal guy you want to walk a guy to get to, but Vaughn [who would hit his 18th homer in the ninth] is one of the top hitters in the league,” Lachemann said. “I guess I could have gone to the bullpen, then walked Jose to get to [Reggie] Jefferson.”

No matter, Williams probably deserved a better fate in his Anaheim Stadium debut.

The Angels staked him to a 1-0 lead in the third inning as designated hitter Chili Davis snapped an 0-for-15 slide with a run-scoring infield single.

Williams sailed through the fourth, then watched things head south in a hurry in the fifth.

Esteban Beltre, batting .209, led off with a bloop single. Milt Cuyler, batting .169, reached on first baseman J.T. Snow’s throwing error. Troy O’Leary doubled to score two runs.

O’Leary then scored when Tim Naehring’s smash hit Williams and sailed into no-man’s land between first and second for a 3-1 Boston lead.

Williams didn’t pitch poorly at all Saturday, but the net result was similar to his major league debut last week at Yankee Stadium. He gave up six runs, two earned, and four hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 7-3 loss to the Yankees.

Williams said the errors behind him didn’t faze him.

“I pretty much blocked it out and concentrated on battling the hitters,” he said.

Williams wasn’t flashy against the Red Sox, plugging away in respectable fashion until Canseco’s homer in the seventh. He gave up seven runs (five earned) and eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.