Glaus’ Shining Effort Leads Angels Again

The latest round of All-Star game voting results will be announced today, and Troy Glaus will not lead the balloting at third base. He doesn’t play for the Seattle Mariners or New York Yankees, and he’s not an icon the way Cal Ripken or Tony Gwynn are.

But, without hitting one of his trademark home runs, Glaus displayed ample evidence Monday of why he might become the first Angel position player since Rod Carew and Reggie Jackson to be selected--if not elected--to play in three consecutive All-Star games.

In a thoroughly entertaining evening at Edison Field, the Angels defeated the Texas Rangers, 5-2. For the Angels, Garret Anderson hit a home run and Brad Fullmer nearly hit an inside-the-park home run. For the Rangers, Alex Rodriguez hit a “Did you see that?” home run into the rockpile in center field, at an estimated distance of 455 feet.

Ramon Ortiz and three relievers combined on a five-hitter, with Ben Weber delivering an inning-ending strikeout with the tying runs on base in the seventh inning and Al Levine striking out two with the tying run at the plate in the eighth.

Glaus’ contributions with his glove were the most glamorous. He staged a defensive clinic in the third and fourth innings, showing the range and strong arm that leads Angel coaches to call him the best defensive third baseman in the league.

“There are a lot of different ways to win a ballgame,” Glaus said. “Keeping a run from scoring is just as important as driving one in.”

He has more errors than all but one third baseman in the league, but the highlight-reel plays flowed Monday, to the delight and benefit of Ortiz.

On consecutive plays in the third inning, when the Rangers might otherwise have had two men on and none out, Glaus charged a bunt, fielded it with his bare hand and made an accurate throw for the out, then fielded a sharp ground ball down the line, backhanded and threw out the runner. In the fourth, he charged a check-swing grounder and threw that runner out too.

“His hands are really good,” first baseman Scott Spiezio said. “He’s really good at coming in on balls and barehanding them. He’s got pretty good range for how big he is [6 feet 5] and he’s got a great arm.

“He’s what every scout, every manager and every general manager would want in a third baseman.”

On offense, Glaus drew a walk that ignited a two-run rally in the fourth inning. He leads the league in runs scored and ranks third in runs batted in, and he leads the Angels in home runs.

“There’s no question that the package Troy brings to the game puts him in an elite group of not only third basemen, but of all the players in the league,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Speaking of home runs, Ortiz gave one up, as is his habit. He leads the major leagues in homers given up. This one didn’t take long; Rodriguez was the third batter of the game.

But Ortiz did not give up another hit until the seventh inning, and the bullpen was happy to take it from there. He gave up two runs over 6 2/3 innings.

In the third inning, with Glaus on first base and the Angels up 2-1, Fullmer launched a drive over the head of Texas center fielder Jason Romano. As he retreated, Romano slipped on the warning track and fell, allowing Glaus to score.

Fullmer kept running and, with right fielder Juan Gonzalez in pursuit of the ball, the crowd buzzed with the possibility of an inside-the-park home run. Fullmer wasn’t slowing down as he hit third base, but coach Ron Roenicke held him there rather than risk running into the third out at home plate. The restraint was rewarded when Tim Salmon singled home Fullmer, giving the Angels a 4-1 lead.