Dickson Ahead of the Game

They flew all night from Anaheim to Minnesota, reaching their hotel at 6:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, and by the time they got to the Metrodome the Angels were still groggy, their eyes a bit glazed.

“I feel,” shortstop Gary DiSarcina said, “like a bag of doughnuts.”

But it was the Minnesota Twins who were saddled with doughnut-shaped numbers, as Angel pitcher Jason Dickson, who flew to Minneapolis a day ahead of the team, threw eight shutout innings to lead the Angels to a 3-0 victory before 10,503.

Dickson gave up six hits, struck out five and walked none to improve to 7-2 and further solidify his American League Rookie of the Year candidacy. Troy Percival pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save.

“He had a great edge out there,” DiSarcina said of Dickson. “Maybe because he knew everyone was dragging he felt he needed to turn it up a notch. He did a tremendous job. You can’t ask for much more.”

Dickson lost to the Twins in Anaheim last Friday, his third consecutive start without a victory, and Manager Terry Collins sensed the right-hander was out to prove a point.

“He was bound and determined to come out and dominate,” Collins said. “It was [General Manager] Bill Bavasi’s decision to have him travel [Wednesday]. I didn’t even think of it. But it was a wise decision, because he was rested and sharp.”

Dickson had to be because his counterpart, Twin starter Bob Tewksbury, was every bit as good for most of the game, effectively moving his fastball and breaking balls.

Tewksbury had a perfect game through 4 2/3 innings and a shutout before the Angels finally scored in the seventh, as Garret Anderson singled, took second on Jim Leyritz’s groundout and came home on Luis Alicea’s two-out single to left.

The Angels then scored twice in the eighth, which began with singles by Tony Phillips and Darin Erstad. Twin first baseman Scott Stahoviak bobbled Dave Hollins’ potential double-play grounder and his only play was at first as Phillips and Erstad advanced.

Twin Manager Tom Kelly chose to intentionally walk Jim Edmonds to pitch to Tim Salmon, who was five for eight lifetime against Tewksbury before Thursday. The move backfired when Salmon drilled Tewksbury’s first pitch into left for an RBI single.

Anderson’s sacrifice fly against reliever Greg Swindell made it 3-0, but third baseman Ron Coomer saved the Twins from further damage with a back-handed, diving stop of Leyritz’s liner behind the bag to end the inning.

The Angel defense bailed Dickson out of a jam in the third, which included two diving stops by DiSarcina and Alicea’s nice play on Pat Meares’ one-hopper up the middle. Coomer was on third on Meares’ grounder but hesitated just long enough for Alicea, the Angel second baseman, to throw home and force a rundown that resulted in Coomer getting tagged out.

Minnesota threatened in the eighth, putting runners on first and second with one out, but Dickson retired Chuck Knoblauch on a fly ball and struck out Rich Becker looking at a full-count fastball.

“Becker was looking fastball, and I wasn’t going to give in to him,” Dickson said. “I threw the 3-2 changeup and he fouled it off, and then he froze a bit on the fastball.”

The shutout was only the second of the season for the Angels, both coming in games Dickson started, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the defensive plays of DiSarcina and Alicea in the third.

“That was the inning that makes or breaks us,” Dickson said. “We were able to shut them down, stay in the game and score some runs.”