DaVanon Takes It From Top

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- And, on the 10th Sunday of the baseball season, David Eckstein rested. For the first time this year, someone other than Eckstein led off for the Angels.

That someone was Jeff DaVanon, who hit two home runs and drove in four runs in a 9-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In one game, DaVanon hit as many home runs as Eckstein had all year and drove in as many runs as Eckstein did all last month.

“I’ll move down if he keeps doing that,” Eckstein said. “I’ll hit in the nine hole.”

Eckstein will return to the leadoff spot Tuesday against the Montreal Expos in Puerto Rico, but DaVanon starred in a game that was enjoyable for the Angels if not flawless. They needed five pitchers in a game they once led, 9-2. They completed a 12-game run against the Devil Rays and Baltimore Orioles at an unsatisfactory 6-6, but they won the last two to climb back to .500.

“We’re at .500 because we’ve been inconsistent,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We have to bring a higher level of play on a nightly basis, and we will.”

For all the Angels’ troubles, they’re 4 1/2 games out of the wild-card spot with four months to play, and they will have their projected roster together for the first time next week, when they activate Darin Erstad and Troy Percival from the disabled list. Their starting pitchers, so horrid for so long, have posted a 3.61 earned-run average in the last 14 games.

After Aaron Sele failed to get past the fourth inning of his previous start, the Angels wavered on whether to let him start as scheduled Sunday. They gave him the ball, got five decent innings from him and got him out, preserving his eligibility for the victory and handing a 4-2 lead to the bullpen.

“I’m not real excited about throwing five innings, but five good innings is a lot better than throwing three bad innings,” Sele said.

Sele said his legs “got a little heavy” after five innings, in which he gave up seven hits but got eight outs by ground ball, seven more than in his previous start. With all the worry about his rehabilitated shoulder, Sele, according to Scioscia, had temporarily lost his focus on leg power -- and on the drive-and-drop delivery that contributes to keeping the ball low, and to getting ground balls.

After Troy Glaus doubled home two runs in the first inning, DaVanon took the burden for the offense on himself. He homered in the third and again in the fifth, singled home two runs in the sixth and singled and scored in the eighth.

DaVanon, who has relegated Eric Owens to the bench while the Angels await the return of Erstad, is 11 for 17 on this trip and is hitting .489 since May 15.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of good pitches,” DaVanon said. “They’re worried about everyone but me.”

And when should opposing teams start to worry about him?

“I hope they never do,” he said. “I’ve never been a player to get recognition in Baseball America or anything. Hopefully, I can continue to help the team.”

He’ll return to the bench when Erstad returns to the lineup. And, with an option remaining, he still might return to the minor leagues this season. But by beating out Owens and getting the chance to play every day, he has gained confidence that translates into production.

In brief trials with the Angels, he hit .200 four years ago, .193 two years ago and .167 last year. He’s at .367 now, in what he said has been his first chance to play more than two consecutive games, no longer feeling the pressure of trying to prove he belongs in each at-bat for fear he might not get another.

“I’m not trying to hit a three-run home run every time,” he said. “I’m just trying to put the ball in play. That’s baseball maturity.”

He takes nothing for granted. Sunday’s game started at 1:15 p.m. DaVanon, leading off, was in the on-deck circle at 1:03 p.m.