A’s Provide Solo Means of Support

Cleanup hitter Jermaine Dye is one thing. He’s a big bopper who’s supposed to keep fans in outfield seats paying attention to every pitch for their own safety.

But Adam Melhuse and Eric Byrnes?

Journeyman ballplayers who have just over one full season’s worth of career at-bats between them and collectively have supplied about as much power as a dying battery?

They also blistered Bartolo Colon in his Angel Stadium debut Friday as the Oakland Athletics relied on three solo homers and the superb pitching of Tim Hudson during a 3-0 victory over the Angels before a sellout crowd of 43,657.

Melhuse, Byrnes and Dye each homered to back Hudson, who pitched four of his 7 1/3 innings in 1-2-3 fashion before requiring the Athletics’ bullpen to bail him out of a bases-loaded, one-out mess in the eighth inning.

Ricardo Rincon struck out Darin Erstad on three pitches before Jim Mecir came on to strike out Vladimir Guerrero on a full-count screwball.

Closer Arthur Rhodes pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save as Oakland extended its early-season lead over the Angels to 1 1/2 games in the American League West.

“We didn’t have many chances tonight, and when we did, their guys made some tough pitches,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Colon also excelled with the exception of three pitches: a fastball up and away in the third that Melhuse blasted just short of the rock formation in left-center field, a high changeup in the sixth that Byrnes deposited into the Angel bullpen in left and an inside fastball in the sixth that Dye hammered into the left-field seats.

“I felt as good as I did in Texas,” Colon said, referring to a 7-2 Angel victory Sunday in which he gave up one earned run in eight innings. “There’s no doubt that they took advantage of my pitches up in the zone.”

The homers were the first three surrendered by Colon this season. The burly right-hander gave up nine hits in eight innings, walking one and striking out five.

Said Scioscia: “If he gives us that effort every time he goes out there, he’s going to win a ton of games for us.”

The Angels, shut out for the first time this season, didn’t manage a baserunner until Erstad singled off the tip of shortstop Bobby Crosby’s glove with one out in the fourth. But Hudson struck out sluggers Guerrero and Garret Anderson to end the inning.

In the fifth, Hudson stranded Jose Guillen, who had smacked a one-out double to left-center, by striking out Tim Salmon and retiring Adam Kennedy on a groundout to second.

David Eckstein got to second in the sixth after reaching on a high chopper to third baseman Eric Chavez and moving up on a wild pitch, but got no further.

“About six or seven line drives got hit at people,” said Anderson, hitless in four at-bats. “It wasn’t like he was overpowering everybody. We hit the ball and they caught the ball.”

Hudson (2-0), who struck out seven and walked none, was backed by a handful of strong defensive plays. Right fielder Dye made a sliding catch of Erstad’s sinking liner in the first, and first baseman Scott Hatteberg dived to snare Kennedy’s sharp grounder headed down the right-field line in the third. Hatteberg sprang to his feet and flipped the ball to Hudson covering first to retire Kennedy.

In the seventh, Crosby ranged up the middle and twirled around before throwing to first to rob Anderson of a hit.

The Angels loaded the bases in the eighth on singles by Salmon, pinch-hitter Jeff DaVannon and Eckstein before coming up empty.

Colon (2-1) also succeeded at damage control, pitching himself into and out of a first-and-third, no-out mess in the fifth. He struck out Marco Scutaro on a full count, and catcher Jose Molina threw out Melhuse attempting to steal second. Mark Kotsay flied out to left fielder Guillen to end the inning.

Byrnes, who also doubled, is five for seven lifetime against Colon. His homer was the 19th of a so-far undistinguished career.

Melhuse’s homer was the seventh of his career.

Angel third baseman Troy Glaus, back in the lineup after missing four games with tightness in his left hamstring, finished hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts.