Washburn Injured in Victory

The Angels finally ended their longest losing streak of the season at five games Monday night, getting a strong start from Jarrod Washburn, two home runs from Ron Gant and a homer and two singles from Mo Vaughn in a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox before 23,078 at Edison Field.

And they still couldn’t savor it. Not when Washburn, who gave up one run and three hits and induced seven infield popups in 5 1/3 innings, had to depart in the sixth because of a sore left shoulder.

On the same day he was activated off the disabled list after a strained left biceps sidelined him for a little more than two weeks, Washburn was put back on the disabled list after Monday night’s game.

The Angels also outrighted struggling outfielder Edgard Clemente to triple-A Edmonton and recalled infielder Keith Johnson. A move to replace Washburn will be made later this week.

Washburn (7-2) was relieved by right-hander Mark Petkovsek, who gave up one infield single in two innings. Shigetoshi Hasegawa pulled the Angels to safety in the eighth, preserving a 3-1 lead by getting Scott Hatteberg to pop to second and Nomar Garciaparra to fly out to right with two on to end the inning.

The Angels tacked on an insurance run on Matt Walbeck’s RBI grounder in the eighth, and Hasegawa, subbing for injured closer Troy Percival, added a scoreless ninth for his fourth save.

All of the Angel homers--Vaughn in the first, Gant in the fourth and sixth, came with two out.

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It was a depressing afternoon for Brian Cooper, and not only because the right-hander, who gave up 22 earned runs in 18 innings of his last four starts, was optioned to triple-A Edmonton.

The first jolt came when Cooper discovered veteran Ken Hill, one of his mentors, had been released. A solemn Cooper approached Hill to say farewell but left feeling a little better about things.

“He was comforting us, which is how it’s been all year,” Cooper said. “After a tough outing, he’d always say, ‘Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to fail.’ He was never upset [the young pitchers] were here. He was always rooting us on.”

And he still will.

“They don’t need me, man, it’s their time to pitch,” Hill said. “You’ve got to let them pitch, because it’s the only way they’re going to get better. . . . They all know how to pitch. It’s just a matter of getting experience.”

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An MRI exam on Percival’s pitching arm Monday indicated tendinitis in the elbow but no major structural damage, which had to be a relief for Percival and the Angels.

Percival, who was put on the 15-day disabled list Saturday, will continue therapy, but no timetable has been set for him to resume throwing or return to action.

The right-hander, who is 4-5 with a 4.85 earned-run average and 25 saves, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in the same elbow seven years ago.

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Shortstop Kevin Stocker left Monday night’s game in the fourth inning because of tightness in his left hamstring. He was replaced by Benji Gil. . . . Tim Salmon tied his career-best 15-game hitting streak with a first-inning single Monday. Darin Erstad ended an 0-for-13 skid, his longest drought of the season, with a single in the fourth inning. . . . The Angels plan to stretch Kent Mercker to 75-80 pitches in Wednesday’s rehabilitation start for Edmonton, and if all goes well, the left-hander, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on May 11, will be activated this weekend.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

RAMON ORTIZ

(3-2, 6.16 ERA)

vs.

RED SOX’S

PEDRO MARTINEZ

(13-3, 1.42 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net. Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Update--Ortiz, who was 6-6 with a 4.55 ERA in 15 starts for triple-A Edmonton, will finally get his wish--a start against the idol who many have compared him to, Martinez. Martinez has not lost since May 23 and is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA against the Angels.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.