It’s Smooth Sailing Against Rockies

Last season, the Angels lost eight of 12 games against National League opponents, three times blowing late-inning leads against the Dodgers and once against the Padres.

Sunday, they completed a sweep of the Colorado Rockies--the first of five series against NL teams over the next month--and finally picked up some ground on American League West-leading Texas.

The Angels had gained only one game in the standings while winning eight of nine, but after Sunday’s 6-5 victory over Colorado, they have closed to within 2 1/2 games of the Rangers, who were bombed by the Padres, 17-8.

“Two weeks ago, we probably wouldn’t have won a game like this,” Manager Terry Collins said, “but now we’re on a little bit of a roll. And we need to be on a roll going into Arizona [for three games] and then Texas [for four games].”

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Dave Hollins was visibly shaken after colliding with Jeff Reed and inflicting a nasty wound on the right side of the Colorado catcher’s face.

“You could see bone through his cheek,” shortstop Neifi Perez said.

Hollins said he was only trying to knock the ball loose and, since he dove into the plate headfirst, wasn’t sure how his spikes could have hit Reed in the face.

“It happened so quick, I don’t know how I spiked him,” said Hollins, who called the hospital to see how Reed was immediately after the game.

Asked if he was OK, Hollins said, “Physically, yeah. Mentally, maybe not.”

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Angel second baseman Justin Baughman, who was hit in the mouth with a line drive in the seventh inning, was taken to Chapman Hospital in Orange. X-rays and a CT-scan were taken and he received stitches to close a wound on the left side of his upper lip.

“I hope he didn’t lose any teeth,” Collins said after the game. “There was so much blood, it was pretty ugly. I imagine he’ll be out for a few days and then he’ll be back in there.”

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The Angels will be without of Tim Salmon during the series that begins Tuesday in Arizona because there will be no designated hitter and the partially torn ligament in his left foot restricts him from playing in the field.

Salmon, who is second on the team with 12 home runs despite spending 17 days on the disabled list a month ago, probably won’t get four days of total rest, though.

“Obviously, he’s a key to our team offensively,” Collins said, “but at least it’s nice to know you have a guy like that on the bench [to pinch hit]. When he first went down, we played good. Everyone else stepped it up.”

The team approach has served the Angels well during the recent string of eight consecutive victories.

“We’re not riding any one guy,” Collins said. “We’re spreading it out and that’s the reason we’ve been winning.”

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Mike James’ hair, bleached bright white when he left the clubhouse Saturday night, was dyed jet black Sunday. “At least it matches his eyebrows now,” Troy Percival said. When Ken Hill stopped laughing, he suggested James try red next. “That’s not a bad idea,” James said, nodding. . . . The first pitch of the day was behind the batter’s head, but there was no danger of another beanball war ensuing. The delivery slipped from the hand of a Little Leaguer who was throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Little League Day.