Colon Stays in Control, Helps Angels Go Wild

For a stretch spanning more than two months this season, the Angels were lucky to get six innings from Bartolo Colon. Now anything less than seven innings from their ace seems like a disappointment.

Continuing his career-long trend of getting stronger as the season progresses, Colon on Monday stifled the Kansas City Royals during the first seven innings of a 9-4 victory before 40,717 at Angel Stadium to record his eighth victory in his last nine starts.

Colon stumbled a bit in the eighth, surrendering back-to-back homers, before leaving to a standing ovation with two out. Reliever Kevin Gregg quickly restored order for a surging Angel team that leapfrogged second-place Texas after winning its sixth consecutive game but remained a half-game behind Oakland in the American League West.

Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer and Jose Guillen homered, drove in two runs and scored three for the Angels (71-54), who moved a season-high 17 games over .500 and into a tie with the Boston Red Sox atop the wild-card standings.

A big part of the Angels’ recent push has been Colon (13-9), who on Monday allowed five hits and three runs in 7 2/3 innings. He appeared on track to post his first complete game of the season after using only 81 pitches to complete seven innings in which he limited the Royals to two hits and one walk.

Colon faced only one batter over the minimum during that span after David DeJesus was thrown out trying to stretch his first-inning single into a double and Joe Randa, who walked in the fourth, was erased on a double play.

But things quickly unraveled for Colon in the eighth after Abraham Nunez drew a leadoff walk and scored when Calvin Pickering hit a 93-mph fastball for a two-run homer. Aaron Guiel homered three pitches later to prompt a visit from pitching coach Bud Black, and DeJesus’ two-out double compelled Manager Mike Scioscia to remove Colon.

“Bart was exceptional through the first seven innings,” Scioscia said. “Eighth inning, he was just missing some spots and they put some quick runs on the board.”

Colon, who threw 128 pitches in 8 2/3 innings last week against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, said fatigue was not a factor. “I tried to adjust a little bit higher in the strike zone,” Colon said, “and that’s when they got to me.”

Colon didn’t exactly overwhelm a Murderer’s Row; the Royals fielded a lineup that before Monday had combined for 37 homers and was devoid of injured sluggers Mike Sweeney and Ken Harvey.

The Angels continued a recent trend of success against left-handed starters, tagging Darrell May (9-14) for nine hits and five runs in five innings to win their ninth consecutive game against a left-hander. Guerrero provided the biggest blow of the Angels’ four-run fifth with his blast that cleared both bullpens behind the left-field wall, and Guillen hammered May’s next pitch over the wall in right-center.

“Be careful,” said Guillen, who extended his career high for runs batted in to 96. “We’re coming, and we’re coming really hard. This is our time now.”

The last-place Royals committed two errors, bringing their total to nine in five games this season against the Angels. Left fielder Guiel’s throw past third baseman Randa allowed Guillen to score one of the Angels’ four runs in the sixth as they took an insurmountable 9-0 lead. Guillen, Darin Erstad and Garret Anderson had run-scoring singles in the inning, and David Eckstein, who had three singles in three at-bats and drew a walk, scored his second run.

“This is the consistent play we’ve been looking for the whole season,” Scioscia said, “and something we need to carry through the last 30-something ballgames.”