Angeles Go Hill Climbing

Maybe it was the periwinkle in his new uniform. Or more likely a long day of travel and a case of the jitters. Whatever it was, it lasted for three innings and right-handed pitcher Ken Hill made the Angels look like idiots for trading for him.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the slag heap. Hill got his game together and gave the Angels a credible first start and a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians in a 5-2 victory Wednesday at Jacobs Field.

Up early to catch a 10 a.m. flight to Cleveland, a short nap after arriving at the team’s hotel, then straight to the ballpark--it wasn’t the easiest way to prepare for his Angel debut.

Hill gave up two runs on four hits with six walks and had two bases-loaded jams and two visits from pitching coach Marcel Lachemann in the first three innings.

But in the end, Hill came exactly as advertised. After a rocky start, he showed a fastball in the mid-90-mph range and sharp breaking pitches that kept the Indians off balance.

He only gave up one hit and one walk during the rest of his 6 1/3-inning outing. His final line: two runs on five hits with seven walks and four strikeouts.

“I just felt a little jittery,” said Hill, acquired Tuesday from the Rangers for catcher Jim Leyritz and a player to be named. “I’m an Angel now and I’ve got to do whatever it takes to help the ballclub. That’s why they brought me over here.”

Early reports weren’t encouraging, but Manager Terry Collins liked the way Hill (6-8) rebounded.

“I think you know he’s out of sync when you see him walking guys because he doesn’t walk a lot of guys,” Collins said. “He was out of sync, out of rhythm. After the third, he got it going.”

The offense eased Hill’s burden a bit, which helped break the tension. The Angels scored twice in the first inning, then got bases-empty homers from catcher Todd Greene in the fifth and center fielder Jim Edmonds in the sixth to seize the lead, 4-2.

Edmonds scored the fifth run on left fielder Garret Anderson’s sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Collins had turned the game over to the bullpen by then, and unlike past games, the relief pitchers did not suffer a breakdown.

Greg Cadaret, making his first appearance in the majors since 1994, and Mike James silenced Cleveland over the final 2 2/3 innings. James, pitching for only the second time since going on the disabled list June 3, threw 2 1/3 hitless innings to pick up his seventh save.

“This was an outstanding trip,” Collins said. “Going into it we were hoping to win five and not lose much ground.”

July or August trips to play New York, Boston and Cleveland are the sort that traditionally send a dagger into the Angels’ hopes to stay in playoff contention.

But instead of faltering, the Angels maintained their momentum on this trip. Wednesday’s victory gave them a 6-4 record on the 10-game sojourn and kept them within half a game of the first-place Seattle Mariners in the American League West.

And they might have gone 8-2 if not for two ninth-inning bullpen meltdowns against Boston on Saturday and Sunday at Fenway Park.

Not surprisingly, pitching was the key to the trip, but particularly to the Angels’ first four-game sweep of the Indians in Cleveland since 1988. When the starters were sharp, the team was impressive. When the starters were lousy, the Angels struggled.

Holding the Indians to four extra-base hits, including only one home run, in four games was pivotal to the Angels’ success.

“Right now, with Ken Hill in our rotation, you’ve got to feel pretty good,” Collins said. “Mark Langston is two weeks away [from joining the rotation after completing a rehab assignment]. Our starting pitching is solid. I like our pitching staff. I like what we’ve done. . . .

“The guys have all responded.”

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First Time On Hill

A look at Ken Hill’s performance Wednesday in his debut with the Angels:

Innings: 6 1/3

Hits: 5

Earned Runs: 2

Walks: 7

Strikeouts: 4

Pitches: 118

Strikes: 64

Balls: 54

Decision: Victory

Record: 6-8

ERA: 5.08