Spiezio Gives Angels a Shot

July concluded with the Angels on the brink of contention and having decided that the only thing standing between them and their first postseason appearance in 14 years was the acquisition of Ron Gant.

So Manager Mike Scioscia lined up his order of six potential 30-homer men, pointed it toward the Detroit Tigers, and waited.

And waited.

And blew on it.

And nudged it with his toe.

Nothing.

Until the ninth inning, when it sparked again. It does always seem to be there for the Angel hitters. Pinch-hitter Scott Spiezio’s three-run home run off Tiger closer Todd Jones with two out in the ninth inning brought a 5-4 victory Monday night at Edison Field.

Angels danced onto the field as Spiezio’s home run soared into the right-field bleachers, another blow struck for the Angels’ unexpected opportunity in this pennant race.

Tim Salmon, who led off the four-run ninth inning with his 23rd home run, was among the first to reach Spiezio, who has three game-ending hits this season.

Jones (0-2) had converted 29 of 30 save opportunities, but faltered in relief of Tiger starter Jeff Weaver.

The Angels had five hits, all singles, in eight innings against Weaver, and two of them didn’t leave the infield. So Gant wasn’t alone in being hitless in three at-bats, including a bases-loaded strikeout that ended the fourth inning, a day after being traded from Philadelphia.

The Angels set aside their woes against left-handers for a day, only to find Weaver, a 6-foot-5 right-hander with a three-quarter delivery, as perplexing. The Simi Valley resident has two career starts in Anaheim and has given up eight hits and one run in 15 innings.

He had home run help from Juan Gonzalez and Juan Encarnacion.

Angel starter Scott Schoeneweis gave up nine hits and four runs in eight innings. Mark Petkovsek (4-2) pitched the ninth inning.

The Tigers held a 4-1 lead entering the ninth based on the power of the Juans.

Gonzalez hit the first pitch of the fourth inning into the bleachers in right-center field. It was a sinker that rose quickly over the infield and landed 407 feet from home plate.

That Gonzalez was in Manager Phil Garner’s lineup six hours after the non-waiver trading deadline was something of a curiosity. Gonzalez and his heavy bat were supposed to be headed to the middle of Seattle’s order, an outcome that would have impacted the Angels for two months rather than for these three days.

Scioscia said he never really pondered Gonzalez’s possible reemergence in the American League West.

“I’m worried about our own house,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, I have enough confidence in this club to know they can play with anyone.”

The Tigers apparently believe they can re-sign Gonzalez, whose first four months in Detroit have done little for his value on the winter free-agent market. He has 15 home runs and 39 RBIs in 286 at-bats.

Gonzalez did, however, make a good show for the scouts in the days leading to the trading deadline. He arrived with a nine-game hitting streak, during which he batted .457.

The home run gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead, which lasted four batters into the Angels’ fourth.

Weaver had lost three of four starts but had good command and velocity against the Angels.

He gave up only Salmon’s infield single his first time through the Angel order. Darin Erstad led off the fourth with an infield single. After Kevin Stocker struck out in an awkward at-bat, Weaver hit Mo Vaughn with a 2-and-2 slider at which Vaughn nearly swung.

Salmon, who has a nine-game hitting streak, lined a single to right field that scored Erstad for a 1-1 tie. The rally seemed young, especially when Garret Anderson singled to left field to load the bases for Troy Glaus.

Glaus, however, took a 3-and-2 slider for his 110th strikeout in 367 at-bats. Newcomer Gant then struck out on three pitches, the last a 94-mph fastball.

In his second start since returning from six weeks on the disabled list, Schoeneweis gave up a run on two doubles in the fifth inning, when the Tigers took a 2-1 lead.

Encarnacion engineered that run in the fifth and then added to it in the seventh when he homered off Schoeneweis with Deivi Cruz at first base in the seventh inning, and the Tigers led, 4-1.