Sparks Is Floating After Win

It was an unlikely pitchers’ duel to begin with, a battle between guys who were hardly wowing them in the minor leagues a couple of months ago.

And then there was the difference in style, power vs. guile, the sledgehammer approach against killing them softly.

But whether it was Blue Jay Kelvim Escobar’s blistering fastball or Angel Steve Sparks’ floating knuckleball, the result was very often the same Saturday night at Edison Field: a batter heading back to the dugout shaking his head.

In the end, after a total of 21 hitters had struck out, the Angels came away with a 5-1 victory over Toronto in front of a cap night crowd of 42,882, the seventh sellout of the season.

The Angels, who saw 124 of Escobar’s pitches and managed only two runs, scored twice more after five deliveries from the two Toronto pitchers who followed. Darin Erstad doubled to right-center off Steve Sinclair leading off the eighth. Then Bill Risley came in to face Tim Salmon and the Angel designated hitter sent his first pitch into the seats beyond the wall in right-center.

Orlando Palmeiro walked, stole second and scored on Troy Glaus’ single to provide the final margin of victory as the the Angels picked up a game over Texas, increasing their lead in the American League West to 2 1/2 games.

Sparks, who improved to 8-2 and threw 136 pitches in seven innings--giving up one run and striking out seven--is scheduled to pitch the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader in New York on three days’ rest. He gave way to Shigetoshi Hasegawa, who worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning and gave up a single in the ninth to earn his third save.

“Steve has just done an outstanding job for us,” Manager Terry Collins said. “Honestly, I don’t know where we’d be without him.”

Sparks knows where he would likely be without the Angels: still in the minors, where he was 0-8 before his recall.

“Every day I’m out there shagging balls, I’m appreciative of where I am compared to where I was a year ago,” he said. “This was the best I’ve thrown in a long time.”

Collins was aware Escobar had a good arm, but he had to smile and consider the alternative when someone mentioned Escobar’s velocity before Saturday night’s game.

“I don’t think he throws any harder than that other guy,” Collins said, referring to Roger Clemens, whom the Angels were glad to miss during this three-game series. “If this guy throws that hard, I’ll be in my office having coffee and rolls real early.”

Escobar, making his fourth major league start since being recalled from triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 1, may have “only” had a 95-mph fastball--Clemens was throwing 97 mph the last time the Angels faced him--but he generated plenty of heat. He gave up five hits and two runs and struck out a career-best 11 in seven innings.

“They’ve got as good a pitching staff as anyone in the league,” Collins said. “We only saw [Escobar] as a closer last year, but he was still throwing 95 in the seventh inning. And he’s got a good curve and good changeup.”

The Angels manufactured a run in the first when their leadoff hitter du jour--Reggie Williams on this night--walked, stole second and scored on Randy Velarde’s single to center.

Toronto tied the score in the second when Tony Fernandez and Darrin Fletcher hit back-to-back doubles into the left-field corner. The Blue Jays had eight runners in the first three innings, but all but those two reached in a way that indicated Sparks’ knuckleball was moving pretty well: two walks, an infield single, a chopper into the hole, a bunt single and a hit batsman.

“His knuckleball was really on,” Toronto right fielder Shawn Green said. “He’s the best knuckleball pitcher we’ve seen this year.”

The Blue Jays left the bases loaded in the third when Fletcher bounced back to Sparks, who started an inning-ending double play.

“He doesn’t get rattled,” Collins said. “He knows as soon as he deviates from the plan, starts throwing more fastballs or curves, he’s going to get hit. But still you’ve got to be courageous to go out there with only one weapon.”