Angels Lose on Vaughn’s Homer in 9th

Anaheim’s Troy Percival may be a quality closer. Just not against the Boston Red Sox this season.

Mo Vaughn hit a three-run homer with no outs in the bottom of the ninth Saturday to give Boston a 7-6 victory over the Angels.

It was only Percival’s fourth blown save of the season but his second against the Red Sox, who tagged the right-hander for four runs on opening day. Boston also scored three runs against Percival in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, which Anaheim swept.

“He’s a dominating pitcher, but you kind of know what you’re going to see,” said Boston’s John Valentin, who preceded Vaughn’s homer with a single. “We’re a good fastball-hitting team. We play well against guys that throw hard against us.”

The loss was only the fourth in 18 games for the Angels, who were attempting to reach 12 games over .500 for the first time since the last day of the 1995 season.

Nomar Garciaparra opened the Red Sox ninth with a single and Valentin followed with his single against Percival (4-5). Vaughn then hit his 23rd homer into the center-field bleachers, a towering shot estimated at 435 feet.

Vaughn said the Red Sox batters knew they were going to see fastballs from Percival.

“You only make highlight films against a guy that gives you a chance,” said Vaughn, who hit the first game-ending homer of his career in Fenway Park. “We know he’s got an overpowering fastball at times. Maybe he wasn’t at the top of his game. He threw a lot of pitches [Friday].”

Percival worked a hitless ninth to close the second game of the doubleheader after struggling in the first game Friday. He didn’t, however, blame it on being overworked--just poor pitch judgment.

“My fastball is my best pitch, but you’ve got to mix it up a little and I didn’t,” Percival said. “This hits real hard because it’s two games out of three I haven’t done the job.

“I didn’t feel fatigued,” he said. “I wasn’t as sharp as I’d like to be, but I was sharp enough to get the job done.”

Butch Henry (4-2) pitched three scoreless innings for the victory and Valentin and Mike Stanley each had solo homers for Boston.

Angel starter Jason Dickson, who leads all AL rookie pitchers in wins, allowed two runs over six innings. He gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out five. The right-hander has given up three earned runs or fewer in 19 of 22 starts.

The Angels jumped on Steve Avery for three runs before the left-hander retired a batter. Tony Phillips and Darin Erstad singled before Dave Hollins followed with a two-run double off the left-field wall.

Tim Salmon, who went four for seven and drove in five runs in the doubleheader, singled and stole second before Hollins scored on a wild pitch. Salmon went two for three with two walks Saturday and is hitting .427 this month.

Boston cut the lead to 3-2 in the third on RBI singles by Wilfredo Cordero and Scott Hatteberg before Anaheim answered with three more runs in the fifth.

Garret Anderson, who had four RBIs Friday, delivered a two-run triple and scored on Todd Greene’s single as the Angels made it 6-2.

Avery, coming off three straight strong starts, gave up six runs on 10 hits in six innings, walking three and striking out four. He also had three wild pitches.

Valentin’s solo homer on the first pitch from Mike Holtz, his 12th of the year, made it 6-3 in the seventh. One out later, Stanley added a pinch-hit homer, also his 12th.

Notes

Avery had been 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA in four starts since returning July 5 from a two-month stint on the disabled list. . . . The Red Sox optioned right-hander Brian Rose, who allowed four runs in three innings in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, to triple-A Pawtucket and recalled right-hander Mark Brandenburg. . . . Reggie Jefferson extended his hitting streak to 14 games, tying Boston’s longest of the season. Valentin did it from June 15-29. . . . Dickson’s shortest outing of the year was his only other start in Fenway Park, coming April 30 when he allowed seven runs, three earned, in four innings.