Four-Man Rotation a Relief for Bullpen

The Angels’ four-man rotation, successful thus far, has produced a beneficial side effect, some rest for a bullpen that has been hit with injuries and fatigue.

Starters have gone at least six innings in nine of the 10 starts since the switch to a four-man rotation.

“It has been a blessing,” reliever Pep Harris said. “They’re doing their jobs and picking us up. We thank them for the rest, but we know they’re going to need us to pick them up sometime.”

The bullpen performed well earlier in the season, but had shown signs of wear and tear. Mike James and Rich DeLucia are on the disabled list. Four relievers have appeared in 30 or more games and two others, including closer Troy Percival, have appeared in 29.

“A month ago, those guys were beat,” Manager Terry Collins said. “They were all tired because they had been used so much. Now they are rested and feeling better.”

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Percival struck out the side in the ninth Sunday. The last eight outs he has recorded have been strikeouts. He has one victory and two saves in that stretch.

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The Angels, who had their 10-game winning streak snapped by the Blue Jays Friday, won back-to-back games to close out the homestand.

“That’s good,” Tony Phillips said. “That confirms that you are playing good baseball.”

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Garret Anderson stole his eighth base Sunday, one more than he had last season. He is the fourth Angel to equal or surpass his single-season high.

“We have put pressure on teams by being aggressive,” said Luis Alicea, who stole his 13th base Saturday. “You could see that in this series. None of the Toronto pitchers lifted their legs when we had runners on base. They all used the slide step.”

The Angels have 67 stolen bases, 14 more than last season.

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Anderson had two runs batted in Sunday, giving him 53 for the season. Once again, he drove them in with a single. Anderson had 16 home runs in 1995 and 12 in 1996. He has two this season, and none since May 14.

“Teams are pitching me different now,” Anderson said Saturday. “I’m sure I’m a part of their scouting report. When I was a rookie, no one knew me. I don’t see fastballs down the middle any more.”

After Sunday’s game, Anderson was again asked about his power outage.

“The bottom line is the RBIs,” he said. “That’s what wins games.”

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Finley recorded his 1,700th strikeout when he got Jacob Brumfield swinging to start the game. . . . James threw for 15 minutes Sunday and will throw a simulated game in New York this week.