Lackey Takes Control in Win

The image of John Lackey leaping skyward on the cover of Sports Illustrated, his mouth agape as the Angels bolted from the dugout in celebration of their World Series triumph over the San Francisco Giants, will forever symbolize a spectacular rookie season.

One season later, the images appeared to have melded into a collage of disappointment.

Remember Lackey, collecting himself on the mound recently as the Dodgers’ Adrian Beltre trotted around the bases after belting a three-run home run? Or the frazzled look on his face earlier this season after giving up hits to the Texas Rangers on three consecutive pitches?

On Wednesday, the telling reflection was again one for posterity. It was Lackey, wrapping an arm around catcher Bengie Molina and exchanging high-fives with teammates near the mound after pitching his first shutout in the major leagues as the Angels beat the Rangers, 5-0, at Edison Field.

Lackey limited the usually potent Rangers to four hits -- all singles -- and did not walk a batter while extending his scoreless streak to 19 1/3 innings, the longest of his career. He matched a season high with eight strikeouts and threw 110 pitches while recording the Angels’ first shutout since Ramon Ortiz accomplished the feat against Baltimore last Aug. 31.

“To get back in this race, any win is big for us right now,” said Lackey, who has won two consecutive starts for the first time this season. “The shutout, the complete game was nice, but we just want wins.”

The Angels (42-40) have won five of six games to pull within 11 1/2 games of Seattle in the American League West and within six games of Boston in the wild-card standings. The team’s second-half fortunes will hinge heavily on whether Lackey can continue to pitch he way he has in victories over the Rangers and Dodgers, whom he shut out over 7 1/3 innings Friday.

“The way he has repeated pitches, the sharpness of his breaking ball, that whole package has come together the last two games,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “The way he pitched tonight against an offense that’s really been swinging the bats well was terrific.”

Lackey heightened expectations last season when he won nine regular-season games after a midseason call-up and became the first rookie in 93 years to win Game 7 of the World Series. But the Angels went 6-10 in his first 16 starts this season, and he had not lasted more than seven innings in a game before his last two outings.

“Sooner or later a guy that pitched as well as he did last year will revert to his track record,” Texas Manager Buck Showalter said. “I think you’ll see him pitch pretty well in the second half.”

Lackey struck out Alex Rodriguez three times and only one Ranger reached second base, when Michael Young hit a leadoff single in the first and stole second. After giving up a two-out single to Mark Teixeira in the fourth, Lackey retired the final 16 batters.

“He pretty much did what he wanted to with every pitch,” said Ranger third baseman Hank Blalock, who went hitless in four at-bats. “If he wanted to throw a fastball on the outside corner, he hit the spot.”

The Angels gave Lackey all the support he would need with three runs in the second off Texas starter Joaquin Benoit. Adam Kennedy drove in Troy Glaus on a sacrifice fly to deep right field that was a few feet short of landing in the stands for a three-run homer. David Eckstein followed with a run-scoring double to left, and Jeff DaVanon brought Eckstein home with a triple to right-center.

Tim Salmon blasted a hanging slider for a two-run homer in the fifth to increase the Angels’ lead to 5-0.

Lackey said part of his improvement over his last two starts has been attributable to the increased use of his changeup, a pitch he had used sparingly earlier in the season.

“Most of the time I’m pretty much fastball, slider,” he said. “Having three pitches for hitters to think about in their head instead of just two keeps them off-balance and makes my fastball look better.”