Angels’ Pain Gain

Saturday, Kevin Appier had what he thought was a migraine.

Sunday, he suffered muscle strains in his left groin and left hip.

Maybe the Angel starter should stub his toe on his way to the mound for his next start. It couldn’t hurt. Because pain isn’t stopping him.

Appier survived a rocky first inning Sunday in which he walked Cleveland’s leadoff batter on four pitches and surrendered a run before settling down to combine with three relievers and give the Angels a 4-1 victory over the Indians, who managed only two hits.

“There was a lot of ugly surrounding it,” laughed Appier (11-9), who left the game after the sixth inning because of the muscle strains. “But you’ve got to look at the overall [picture]. It was a pretty good game.”

If nothing else, Appier was effective ... and effusive as he battled in front of 41,059 at Edison Field.

The right-hander, who won his fifth consecutive decision against Cleveland, talked to himself often as he got himself out of jams, while giving up one hit in six innings. He struck out four, walked three, threw two wild pitches and hit a batter in his 98-pitch outing.

Angel relievers Brendan Donnelly and Ben Weber each threw a perfect inning, and Troy Percival, who gave up a one-out double to Jim Thome, closed the game for his 30th save. That made it the fifth consecutive season Percival has had at least 30 saves and the sixth season in his eight-year career.

With the win, the Angels (74-49), remain half a game behind the American League West leading Seattle Mariners and maintain a 1 1/2-game lead over the Oakland Athletics for the AL wild card as they prepare for a seven-game trip to New York and Boston.

Indian starter C.C. Sabathia (8-10) took the loss in the first complete game of his career. The left-hander gave up four runs and eight hits in eight innings, striking out four and walking three.

With Appier’s slow start, though, the Indians (54-68) were primed to take advantage.

After drawing the leadoff walk, Cleveland rookie Coco Crisp, who had advanced to third base on Ellis Burks’ one out-single, scored on Thome’s sacrifice fly to center field. A laboring Appier then struck out Karim Garcia looking to end the inning.

“He’s a veteran guy, and he knows when he’s doing something bad,” said Angel catcher Jose Molina. “He got out of that jam in the first inning and got his rhythm back. He was a little wild in the beginning.”

Said Angel Manager Mike Scioscia: “[Appier] pitched a terrific ballgame today against a lineup that really can hurt you from top to bottom. He knew what it was going to take for him to get back on his game. That first inning could have been tough ... and I think, in that context, he showed how his experience helps him.”

Appier, who made his major league debut in 1989, said his mechanics were off in the early going.

“I thought my stuff was good,” he said. “It was just a matter of getting it located ... my timing was off and I was rushing and my shoulder was leaking out, but a little refinement and it came together.

“My stuff was fine, but my timing and mechanics made my stuff go all over.”

The Angel batters, meanwhile, were busy getting a lead for Appier.

After tying the score in the second on Benji Gil’s sacrifice fly to center that scored Garret Anderson, whose single led off the inning, the Angels took over for good in the fourth with two runs.

Troy Glaus walked to lead off, then scored from first on Shawn Wooten’s double into the left-center gap.

Wooten crossed the plate three batters later on Alex Ochoa’s two-out double to the same spot.

The Angels added another run in the eighth when Glaus’ two-out double into the right-field corner scored Scott Spiezio, who had walked.

Appier will be reevaluated Tuesday in New York, and if he’s unable make his next scheduled start, Saturday at Boston, Scioscia said he’d most likely look to his bullpen for a spot start out of either Al Levine, Scot Shields or Scott Schoeneweis.