Percival Finishes the Job

Angel closer Troy Percival just reared back and threw.

The only Detroit Tiger batter to do any damage against him was Frank Catalanotto, who had a two-out single in the ninth inning. Every one else struck out, and Percival preserved a 3-2 victory Wednesday. It was the third Angel victory he had finished off in as many days.

In the three-game series, Percival struck out seven Tigers and picked up two saves.

“We believe we play an eight-inning game,” Manager Terry Collins said. “If we get to the ninth with the lead, things are dramatically in our favor.”

That’s with Percival as the last man in the Angel assembly line.

The sweep of the Tigers--who have lost nine consecutive games--pulled the Angels to within half a game of first-place Texas. No one, though, wanted total credit.

Not Garret Anderson, who robbed Luis Gonzalez of a home run.

Not Steve Sparks, whose knuckleball baffled Tiger batters for seven innings.

Not Percival, who struck out Tony Clark, Gonzalez and Gabe Alvarez to earn his 32nd save, tying him for the American League lead.

“That’s our team,” Percival said. “We don’t have a marquee superstar who’s going to drive in 150 runs. Everybody has to do their job.”

A crowd of 12,485 at Tiger Stadium saw the Angels come up with that kind of lunch-pail effort.

There were two Klieg-light moments: Anderson racing to the right-field fence and leaping high to pull the ball hit by Gonzalez out of the stands in the fourth inning, and Reggie Williams sprinting to the left-field line and extending himself to take an extra-base hit from Catalanotto in the fifth.

But mostly, it was a blue-collar effort.

“Everybody did what they had to do to get a win,” Sparks said. “We’ve just been grinding it out, waiting and hoping to get a streak started.”

Sparks did some grinding himself.

Brian Hunter doubled to lead off the first inning and later scored on a groundout. Catalanotto homered in the second, his third of the season, all against the Angels.

Sparks (6-2) didn’t flinch. He gave up seven hits, but walked only one. Sparks struck out two and picked off Bobby Higginson to end the third inning, then got some defensive help.

Gonzalez, who was robbed of a homer by Ken Griffey on Sunday, appeared to tie the score in the fourth. But Anderson timed his jump perfectly.

It was the second time this season he has robbed a batter of a home run. Anderson ended a game in Baltimore by taking a homer away from Harold Baines.

“This one was easier,” Anderson said. “The ball cooperated.”

Williams, called up from triple-A Vancouver on Tuesday, caught Catalanotto’s line drive to start the fifth. Third base umpire Ken Kaiser first called it a hit, after seeing Williams jump up and fire the ball back to the infield.

“I told him, ‘I’ve been in the minor leagues for 10 years, I’m just excited,’ ” Williams said.

Crew chief Larry Barnett reversed the call.

There were less flashy plays as well. Shortstop Gary DiSarcina started double plays--with second baseman Randy Velarde risking limbs to make the pivot--to end the sixth and eight innings. Both times the Tigers had two runners on base.

“A lot of guys picked it up for us,” Collins said. “It started with Sparks. Garret and Reggie made tremendous catches. We got those double plays and we got some big hits.”

Two, actually.

Craig Shipley drove in Tim Salmon from second when he pulled a pitch between third baseman Alvarez and the foul line for a double with two on in the fourth inning. Phil Nevin then lined a single to left to drive in Chris Pritchett, who had walked, and Shipley and give the Angels a 3-2 lead.

They maintained the advantage, then put the game in Percival’s hands. He threw 20 pitches in the ninth on Tuesday, but was still overpowering Wednesday.

“Run me out there every night,” Percival said. “It might not always be pretty, but there are six weeks to go, we’re a half-game out. It’s time to roll.”