Salmon Gets to Be an All-Star for a Day

The tag no longer stings. October took care of that.

For so many years, Tim Salmon wore the label of “best player never to make the All-Star game.” He hit his 30 home runs each year, in years when that was an impressive total. But he played for the Angels, so no one paid much attention. To the extent anyone did, he doomed his chances with his annually crummy April.

This year could have been different. The Angels were popular, the defending World Series champions. He hit well in April. His manager, Mike Scioscia, would pick the All-Star reserves.

But Salmon cooled off, right about the time major league officials announced a new All-Star selection process that robbed Scioscia of most of his picks. Salmon is not expected to be included in today’s All-Star selections, but he was the star Saturday, hitting two home runs and driving in four runs to power the Angels to a 6-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

In spring training, Salmon said his World Series ring would mean more than any All-Star berth ever could. As this year’s All-Star roster is unveiled, Salmon bluntly said he has no business on it.

“You’ve got to take the best team, and I shouldn’t be on it,” Salmon said. “I’m not by any means having the kind of year other guys are having.”

The A’s attracted 55,601 to their fireworks night -- yes, the A’s really did hold their fireworks night on the Fifth of July -- setting a record for the largest crowd to see a regular-season game in Oakland.

The Angels won for the seventh time in nine games and closed to within 3 1/2 games of the second-place A’s in the American League West. With a victory today, the Angels would move four games above .500 for the first time this season and sweep the A’s in Oakland for the first time since 1997.

Ramon Ortiz frittered away most of a 5-0 lead but still provided six satisfactory innings, becoming the Angels’ first 10-game winner. Ben Weber, Brendan Donnelly and Troy Percival held the A’s hitless over the final three innings, with Percival earning a save for his 12th consecutive appearance.

The Angels got their closer back from the disabled list one month ago, back from what was feared to be a hip injury that could require surgery. Since his return, he has pitched 13 innings and given up two hits.

Donnelly, expected to be selected to the All-Star team today, has given up two earned runs all year. Weber has an earned-run average below 3.00, Scot Shields has an ERA below 2.00, and neither Francisco Rodriguez nor Scott Schoeneweis has given up a run in the last 20 days.

The Angels’ bullpen leads the league with a 2.65 ERA. And, during this nine-game mini-roll, the beleaguered Angel starters have posted a 2.89 ERA.

“We’re getting a lot of components of our club together,” Scioscia said. “It starts with our pitching.”

In the first four innings, Ortiz faced one batter over the minimum. In the next two innings, he gave up three runs and four hits -- including home runs to Eric Chavez and Billy McMillon -- within the span of seven batters.

The Angels got three runs before the A’s got an out. David Eckstein singled to start the game, Jeff DaVanon walked, and Salmon homered. The Angels scored three more runs, including a solo homer by Salmon in the fifth.

Salmon is hitting .274, on pace for 25 home runs and 84 runs batted in. Solid numbers? Certainly. All-Star numbers? Certainly not.

The obvious one-liner is to suggest Salmon would make the All-Star team if he played all his games against the A’s. Of his 13 homers, seven have come against Oakland.

Salmon knows better than to say he owns any pitching staff, let alone one that includes Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito.

“A year or two years ago,” Salmon said, “I don’t know if I ever got a hit against these guys.”