Angels Show A’s They’re Ready for Race

The Angels are not easily offended. They shrugged off the preseason coronation of the Oakland Athletics as division champions, league champions and World Series champions, choosing to let the results speak for themselves. And, after the A’s swept the Angels in Oakland last week, there wasn’t much for the Angels to say anyway.

But the Angels returned the favor at Edison Field, pounding Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito in an 8-2 victory Sunday and completing a three-game sweep in which they outscored the A’s, 26-11.

There will be a race in the American League West after all. The defending World Series champions extended their winning streak to five games, the A’s suffered their first sweep in 11 months -- and their first sweep by the Angels in four years -- and the teams are tied for first place at 7-5.

“When Oakland beat us at their place, we knew they weren’t that much better than us,” Tim Salmon said. “We just didn’t play that well. We knew we were better than that.”

Salmon, Troy Glaus and Shawn Wooten hit home runs, Ramon Ortiz and Scot Shields combined on a five-hitter, and the Angels served notice that the A’s would not get an automatic pass into the playoffs.

“It was big that we answered what they did to us,” Wooten said. “With the way we pitch and the way we put the ball in play -- and especially with the way our bullpen is -- we can play with anybody.”

There was no suspense Sunday, with the Angels scoring seven runs in the first four innings, backed by a bullpen in which -- statistically, anyway -- Francisco Rodriguez is the weakest link. Ortiz gave up four hits in six innings for the victory, with Shields pitching three shutout innings for his first major league save.

By the end, Oakland Manager Ken Macha waved the white flag, using a Rule 5 draft pick to pitch the eighth inning and clearing his bench with three pinch-hitters in the ninth.

“We got a pretty good butt-whipping today,” Macha said.

If all you saw on the TV highlights were the home runs, you missed the Angels doing what they do best, making pests of themselves on offense. They lead the league in stolen bases and fewest strikeouts, and their emphasis on patient at-bats and aggressive baserunning paid off again Sunday.

“We’re not really structured around the home run,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said.

In the first inning, David Eckstein walked. Then he charged from first base to third on a single to left field, enabling him to score on a sacrifice fly by Garret Anderson. In the second, Wooten worked the count full, then homered. Reserve outfielder Eric Owens stole his fourth base, tied for the league lead.

In the third, Darin Erstad hustled a ground ball into an infield single, the Angels drew two walks, and Owens hit a two-run single into left field. And, in the fourth, Salmon hit a three-run homer.

He is tied with Alex Rodriguez for the league lead in home runs -- and, for Salmon, all five have come against Oakland. “Go figure,” he said.

The Angels ended Zito’s 10-game winning streak, on a day his velocity appeared to be slightly down and his ability to throw strikes was way down. Of his 89 pitches, 39 were balls.

“I didn’t really see his fastball all that much,” Eckstein said. “He was throwing a lot more off-speed pitches than usual.”

Ortiz, who complained after his last start of a lack of power in his pitching arm, kept his fastball at a lively 91-93 mph throughout the game. He regained a touch of lost velocity after pitching coach Bud Black adjusted a flaw in his delivery -- and after Black reassured him there was no reason for worry.

The Angels weren’t about to proclaim their superiority over the A’s, even after three days of pounding away at perhaps the most acclaimed starting rotation in the major leagues. They staked their claim to a place in the pennant race, and for this weekend that was enough.

“I think both clubs know,” Scioscia said, “that we’re in it for the long haul.”