Clemens Stops Angels Again

So what if neither team figures to be playing in the World Series come October. Who really cares if they haven’t lived up to expectations.

Chuck Finley versus Roger Clemens still made for a compelling show Tuesday at Anaheim Stadium.

In the end, Clemens was a tad better than Finley, got more support and he and the Boston Red Sox edged the Angels, 2-1.

Pity neither pitcher was around at the end.

Mike James relieved Finley capably in the ninth, escaping a jam and giving the Angels a chance to win in the bottom of the inning.

Boston Manager Kevin Kennedy turned the game over to closer Heathcliff Slocumb for safekeeping to start the ninth, but it almost got away.

Instead of cruising to victory thanks to Clemens, the Red Sox stumbled across the line because of Slocumb.

Slocumb worked a shaky ninth, walking Randy Velarde with the bases loaded to force in the Angels’ only run before striking out Jim Edmonds to end the game.

All of which threatened to overshadow Clemens’ 25th career victory over the Angels.

Clemens gave up three hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in eight shutout innings. He asked Kennedy to come out of the game when the manager and the infielders visited the mound in the seventh.

“I told Kevin I wasn’t the best man in that situation, but the whole team jumped on me and pressured me to stay in the game,” said Clemens, who passed Cy Young to become the Red Sox all-time leader with 2,728 innings pitched.

Finley worked 8 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on nine hits with two walks and three strikeouts. He got zero run support for the second straight start against Boston, however.

Through six innings, Boston managed only two hits against Finley, who has lost five of six, including a 6-0 decision against Clemens Aug. 17 at Fenway Park.

“This is the best I’ve seen from any pitcher anywhere that I’ve been involved with,” Kennedy said after Clemens won his fourth consecutive start. “He’s just been phenomenal. His stuff was exploding at the plate.”

It should have come as no great shock that Clemens would master the Angels. After all, he dominates them like no other club.

He is 25-7 with a 2.37 earned-run average and 265 strikeouts in his career against the Angels.

There seems to be an aura about him the Angels can’t pierce.

“Among all the pitchers I’ve been close enough to observe he definitely has this presence,” said Joe Maddon, Angel interim manager. “He exudes confidence. His team knows they have a shot to win when he pitches. All that is in their favor.”

He might not have the fearsome fastball he once did, but his command and savvy tend to make up for it.

Asked if there might also be an intimidation factor because of Clemens’ reputation as a pitcher unafraid to buzz a 90-mph fastball near a batter’s head, Maddon said:

“I’m sure that’s part of it. He’s Roger Clemens. He’s been good for a long time. He’s made some adjustments and he’s made them really well.”

Mike Stanley’s leadoff homer in the seventh inning and Troy O’Leary’s run-scoring single in the ninth gave Clemens all the offensive support he would need.

The Red Sox, 21-7 in August, stayed within three games of the American League wild-card berth that Baltimore now has.

The Angels, who could have escaped last place in the AL West with a victory, again looked more polished, more confident than in the dreary days of June and July.

The game was delayed by a power outage for 16 minutes when a traffic accident knocked out one of the two Anaheim substations that feeds power to the stadium.

The Anaheim Stadium lights winked off a few minutes before the scheduled 7:05 start, but the problem was soon resolved.

The delay only served to heighten the expectations of the crowd of 19,947, drawn to see the Famous Chicken perform his antics certainly, but also to see the anticipated pitching duel between Finley and Clemens.

Neither Finley (12-13) nor Clemens (8-11) has had a remarkable season. But that didn’t figure into the equation.

Neither looked beatable Tuesday, particularly in the game’s first six innings.