Scioscia Knew He Was Right

Mike Scioscia was practically lying in wait. He knew after Bartolo Colon won his fourth straight game Tuesday night that he would be asked to explain why Colon has been so good for three weeks after going two months as one of the worst pitchers in baseball.

“He’s lost weight,” Scioscia deadpanned.

This was a not-so-subtle dig at the many critics who surmised Colon’s weight -- the right-hander is a stout 5-foot-11, 260 pounds -- was a key factor in his struggles. He had a 6.57 earned-run average in his first 17 starts.

But as Scioscia duly noted, Colon’s weight has not fluctuated much from the time he opened the season with a six-inning, five-hit, one-run win over Seattle on April 6, through his horrendous two-month slump, and during his last four starts, in which he is 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA.

“He’s getting back into his rhythm, he’s repeating pitches, his delivery is smooth,” Scioscia said. “And his weight is the same.”

Bud Black, the Angel pitching coach, credits better health for Colon’s transformation. For several weeks, Colon had a sore left ankle that affected his stride and caused discomfort in his landing foot. He also had tightness in his lower back.

“The back and the ankle might have had more of an impact than he was letting on, and if you’re trying to pitch through nagging injuries, the consistency and quality of each pitch is going to suffer,” Black said.

“What you see now, from pitch to pitch, is better location, better movement and better life on the ball. He’s doing a better job of mixing in his secondary pitches, his slider and changeup, and he’s more confident. It all adds up to him pitching more aggressively, throwing more first-pitch strikes and getting more 1-and-2 counts.”

Colon’s fastball, clocked in the 93-mph range during his slump, was in the 95- to 96-mph range consistently Tuesday night, and he located it on both corners, striking out six of the first seven batters he faced.

“You can tell his legs are coming more into play,” Black said. “He’s getting more power from his bottom half.”

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Texas catcher Gerald Laird was booed in each at-bat Wednesday, and the crowd at Angel Stadium roared when he struck out in his first two at-bats.

Laird and Angel second baseman Adam Kennedy got into a fight during batting practice Tuesday, after Kennedy took offense to Laird’s suggestion that he was trying to get hit by a pitch Monday rather than get out of the way.

The shoving match was broken up quickly, but not before players from both teams rushed over. Scioscia said he did not anticipate a suspension for Kennedy.

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The Florida Marlins, rebuffed in their efforts to acquire Arizona outfielder Steve Finley and skeptical of their chances of landing Colorado’s Larry Walker, are making a strong push to acquire Angel left fielder Jose Guillen, according to a Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel report.

The Marlins are believed to be dangling two top prospects, including double-A right-hander Randall Messenger, whose fastball has been clocked at 96 mph, in hopes of convincing General Manager Bill Stoneman that he could replenish his farm system if he trades for Arizona ace Randy Johnson.

But with Guillen enjoying a career year -- he has a .305 average, 18 home runs and 76 runs batted in -- and reserve outfielders Raul Mondesi and Jeff DaVanon on the disabled list, the Angels seem reluctant to trade Guillen.

“Vladimir [Guerrero] and Jose have been like two pillars holding up a concrete slab,” Scioscia said. “You need both, not one. Jose has put himself in an elite class of players. He’s been a foundation in our lineup. Without Jose, it would be tough to talk about any playoff future for this team.”

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The Angels’ one-hit shutout Tuesday night was their first one-hit shutout since Chuck Finley beat Boston on May 26, 1989, and first combined one-hitter since Frank Tanana and Don Kirkwood blanked Oakland on April 26, 1975.... The schedule gets a little more lenient for the Angels beginning tonight: 17 of their next 20 games are against teams with sub-.500 records.

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ON DECK

Opponent -- Seattle Mariners, four games.

Site -- Angel Stadium.

TV -- Fox Sports Net, except for Channel 11 Saturday.

Radio -- KSPN (710), KTNQ (1020).

Records -- Angels 54-47, Mariners 38-62.

Record vs. Mariners -- 7-2.

Tonight, 7 -- Aaron Sele (6-0, 4.39) vs. Ron Villone (3-2, 3.00).

Friday, 7 p.m. -- Ramon Ortiz (3-6, 4.07) vs. Gil Meche (1-5, 7.06).

Saturday, 1 p.m. -- Kelvim Escobar (5-8, 4.15) vs. Travis Blackley (1-3, 10.38).

Sunday, 1 p.m. -- Bartolo Colon (9-8, 5.50) vs. Ryan Franklin (3-9, 5.20).