Angels Are Just What Burkett Needs

John Burkett, the only Ranger in franchise history to win a postseason game, hasn’t exactly been a key figure in Texas’ drive for the American League West title this season.

Coming into Wednesday night’s game, he had won only one of his last seven starts and had made it out of the sixth inning only once. Only four pitchers in the league had given up more hits and no one had yielded more earned runs (122).

Just the kind of pitcher the Angels--flailing and failing at the plate and free-falling in the standings--needed to emerge from their offensive doldrums and salvage a chance to battle for the division championship in the season’s final days, right?

Sounded like a good theory . . . until about 9:30 Wednesday night, when Burkett had retired his 14th batter in a row.

As it turned out, it was a team like the Angels that Burkett needed to get back on track for a chance at another playoff victory. He retired the punchless Angels in order in the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth innings and held them to two hits in eight innings as Texas completed a three-game sweep with a 7-1 victory at Edison Field.

Angel Manager Terry Collins was lamenting his team’s recent inability to drive in runs when he stopped himself and pointed out that they first needed to get some baserunners before they could pile up the RBIs. The Angels managed only 15 hits in this crucial series against the Rangers.

“We need to go up there with a plan,” he said, “and when we get a pitch to hit, we can’t foul them off. We need to work the middle of the field and stop trying to hit three-run homers when there’s nobody on.”

The Angels ignored Collins’ analysis and opted for paralysis.

What they seemed to forget was that in order to get baserunners, you’re probably going to have to swing the bat, especially when you’re already two strikes down. Burkett (9-13) struck out seven, and six times Angel hitters watched that third strike all the way into catcher Ivan Rodriguez’s glove. He walked only one and hardly worked up a sweat, slicing through the Angel lineup like a razor-sharp steak knife through a $30 filet mignon.

“We thought we could get a lot more than two hits off him,” Collins said.

Burkett, who beat David Cone and the Yankees in Game 1 of the 1996 AL division series, wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence.

“It’s no secret that I’ve had a horrible season,” he said, “and I was fortunate that [Manager] Johnny [Oates] stuck with me and gave me a chance to finally contribute.

“When I came to the ballpark, I was thinking, ‘Don’t let them up.’ There’s a big difference between being three games up with four to play than one up. I didn’t like having to sit and watch those two [Angel-Ranger] games in Texas, so this really feels great.”

Burkett said he had a good idea of what he wanted to do after watching Todd Stottlemyre and Rick Helling throttle the Angels on Monday and Tuesday night and his plan couldn’t have panned out better.

“I had good control of my fastball and that’s the most important thing for me,” he said. “I just kept it down and away and hung in there and the offense did it again.”