Hill Rebounds to Help Angels Continue Streak

Someone on the Angel training staff must have performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Ken Hill’s “dead arm” this week, because it was alive and kicking Thursday night.

And remember that lifeless Angel team that lost four in a row to the lowly Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals to end their last home stand? Well, you might not recognize this perky, pesky, periwinkle-clad group that returns to Anaheim tonight.

Hill, whose earned-run average and ego took a beating in his previous two starts, rebounded with a strong seven-inning effort Thursday night, giving up two runs on five hits to lead the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners before 23,709 in the Kingdome.

And the Angels didn’t let a two-run deficit in the first inning bother them--they used Justin Baughman’s suicide squeeze to score the go-ahead run in the fourth inning and pulled away with runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth to sweep the two-game series against their American League West rivals.

It was the Angels’ fifth win in a row, it gave them a 6-1 record on their road trip and pulled them to within 3 1/3 games of first-place Texas as they begin interleague play tonight against the Colorado Rockies.

“It’s good to be on a positive role,” said Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina, who homered in the seventh and added an RBI single in the eighth. “Minnesota and Kansas City have notoriously given us trouble on the road, and we faced Randy Johnson here, so it’s been a great trip for everyone.”

It didn’t start well for Hill, who lost to the Twins Saturday, but with his fastball returning to the 94-mph range and the bite back on his breaking pitches, Hill struck out five, which was four more than he struck out in his last two starts, when he was rocked for a combined 10 runs on 14 hits.

“My arm strength and location were a lot better, and I felt a lot better,” said Hill, who was sapped by a 148-pitch outing against Oakland on May 20. “The key was pitching inside. All the games I’ve won this year I’ve pitched inside. All the games I’ve lost I didn’t.”

This Angel win didn’t come without some tense moments. Left-hander Mike Holtz relieved Hill (8-4) to start the eighth with a 5-2 lead and walked Ken Griffey Jr. David Segui singled to left, bringing the tying run to the plate.

Angel Manager Terry Collins summoned right-hander Shigetoshi Hasegawa, who became the Angel set-up man by default two weeks ago because Rich DeLucia and Pep Harris couldn’t handle the job.

Hasegawa snuffed out the rally by striking out Edgar Martinez swinging, Dan Wilson looking and getting Rob Ducey to fly out to center fielder Jim Edmonds on the warning track.

The right-hander then retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out Russ Davis and Joey Cora, for his first career save and the first this season by an Angel not named Troy Percival.

“Shiggy was outstanding,” Collins said. “This kid is not afraid of any situation. He goes out there with four pitches, he has command them all, and he wants it. He wants to be an important part of the club, not just someone who pitches the middle innings.”

Hasegawa was a starter for six seasons in Japan but moved to the Angel bullpen in 1997. He was primarily a long reliever, often eating up innings in blowout losses, but he has emerged this season as one of the Angels’ most effective relievers.

“I could never have imagined getting a save,” Hasegawa said. “In Japan, we don’t have many closers. Three saves in a season is considered good. Here we have a big closer with a great fastball.”

One of Hill’s first fastballs Thursday night was hit by Griffey into the right-field seats in the first inning for a two-run homer, giving the Mariner center fielder 22 homers and 54 RBIs this season.

But Darin Erstad sliced the lead in half when he led off the third with his 13th homer, and the Angels took a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Matt Walbeck doubled to left and Orlando Palmeiro, who was recalled from triple-A Vancouver Wednesday, tripled to right for a run.

Baughman, who made a spectacular, leaping grab of Wilson’s liner to start a double play in the third inning, then squeezed Palmeiro in with a bunt, and the Angels were on their way.