Angels Are Closing In

The Seattle Mariners sprinted to the lead. The Angels sprinted to catch up. So, just in time for summer fun, the Angels are pleased to present a race to the division title.

In the American League West, the wild-card might not be available as a consolation prize. The winner might take all. And, amazingly enough for those fans who witnessed the Angels stumble their way through the opening weeks of the season, that winner might just be the Angels.

The Angels are one game behind the once-mighty Mariners, after home runs from Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus powered a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Jarrod Washburn shut out the Pirates for the first six innings and won his sixth consecutive decision, and Troy Percival earned his sixth save in nine days and 14th of the season.

“It’s a little early to talk about a pennant race right now, but we’re definitely paying attention to the standings,” Washburn said. “If we play like we have been, then we’ll be in a pennant race until the end of the year.”

Seattle won 17 of its first 21 games, opening up a 10 1/2 game lead on the Angels. But the Angels won 21 of 24, and the Angels now own the curious distinction of having the worst start in franchise history (6-14) and the best start (37-24).

Since the Angels visited Seattle in late April, the Mariners are two games over .500, no longer invincible, stumbling along without designated hitter Edgar Martinez and desperately in search of help for their pitching staff. And the Oakland Athletics, left for dead not long ago, won their fifth consecutive game Monday; they’re six games out of first place.

“I don’t see it being real easy,” Angel pitcher Kevin Appier said. “If we were to pass the Mariners, I don’t see us coasting our way to the division [title]. I don’t think Oakland is out of it, either. I think it will be pretty close down to the wire.”

Manager Mike Scioscia tempered the excitement, understandable under any circumstances and especially so with a franchise notorious for teasing fans all summer and breaking their hearts come September.

“We’re not raising any banners here,” Scioscia said. “We understand the challenge in front of us. The challenge is not to play good baseball for six weeks. It’s to play good baseball for six months.”

The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees have the two best records in the American League. If that holds, one will begin the playoffs as champion of the American League East and the other as the wild-card, leaving the Angels, Mariners and A’s to fight for one playoff invitation.

Talk about reconciling weird statistics: Washburn had not won at Edison Field in 11 months, but he has not lost any of his last 10 starts, in any park. In his first seven starts at home this season, he had two losses and five no-decisions and a perfectly reasonable earned-run average of 3.86.

But victory is assured if the other team does not score, and so Washburn held the Pirates scoreless for the first six innings, on three hits. Pittsburgh knocked him out in the seventh, after a home run from Craig Wilson and consecutive doubles and after 110 pitches in all.

“I was a little gassed,” Washburn said.

“I had a little bit of a dead arm. I didn’t feel like I had any life in my fastball.”

Washburn is expected to make his next start. By then, since power hitters tend to be streaky, Glaus could be on a hot streak. His cold streak beginning play Monday: nine for 67 (.134).

He had two hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning. Anderson had two hits too, including a solo home run in the sixth. Glaus and Anderson share the team lead in homers, with 13 apiece.

Tim Salmon had two more hits too. His batting average, which bottomed out at .135 in April, is at .282. Since April ended, Salmon is hitting .350.

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*--* Great Start Best records by Angels after 61 games: Year After 61 Final 2002 37-24 1989 36-25 91-71 1979 36-25 88-74 1970 35-26 86-76 1982 35-26 93-69 1995 34-27 78-66

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