Angels Barely Have Enough

He was the little one that got away, the 5-foot-7, 165-pound afterthought the Boston Red Sox left exposed to the waiver wire and the Angels snapped up Aug. 16, 2000, for a mere $25,000.

Angel shortstop David Eckstein harbors no ill will toward the Red Sox for casting him off -- they had a perennial All-Star shortstop in Nomar Garciaparra, they didn’t want to expose promising first baseman Izzy Alcantara to waivers, and why would they think there’d be any interest in a .246-hitting, few-tool kid at triple-A Pawtucket?

But some in the Red Sox organization still regret the day they lost this tiny overachiever, and Eckstein provided another reminder why Tuesday night, collecting three hits, knocking in two runs and scoring two runs to help the Angels defeat the Boston Red Sox, 7-6, in front of a sellout crowd of 43,285 in Angel Stadium.

Eckstein slapped a run-scoring single to left field to tie the score, 4-4, in the sixth inning, Vladimir Guerrero followed with a two-run double to give the Angels the lead, and Eckstein added a run-scoring double in the seventh for an insurance run, and the Angels overcame a 4-1, fourth-inning deficit.

That last run loomed large when closer Troy Percival gave up a two-run home run to Brian Daubach in the top of the ninth to cut the Red Sox deficit to 7-6.

But Angel third baseman Alfredo Amezaga, who replaced starter Chone Figgins to begin the ninth, made a spectacular diving catch of Kevin Millar’s liner in foul territory for the last out, preserving career save No. 296 for Percival.

Right-hander Kevin Gregg replaced struggling starter Bartolo Colon in the fifth inning and provided 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the win, and set-up man Francisco Rodriguez struck out four in his 1 1/3 relief innings.

Eckstein extended his hitting streak to 16 games, going 25 for 65 during the stretch to boost his average from .220 on May 13 to .279.

“If you look at it ... it happens,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of the Eckstein acquisition. “At the time we had a chance to get Eck, he was mired in a long slump, and because he’s not a tool guy, there are those who doubted his ability to get over the hump.

“I don’t think anyone doubted his mental makeup, but maybe it was too big of a leap of faith for someone to give him a chance. I’m happy we did, and happy he was struggling at Pawtucket and we had a chance to get him.”

Eckstein played a role in all four of the Angels’ scoring rallies, including a three-run sixth. Trailing, 4-3, Casey Kotchman opened the inning with a single, and Jose Molina bunted him to second. Adam Kennedy was hit by a pitch, and Eckstein looped a run-scoring single to left field to tie the score, 4-4.

Figgins flied to center for the second out, but with runners on first and second, Guerrero, hitless in his first three at-bats, lashed a breaking ball from Boston starter Bronson Arroyo into the left-center-field gap for a two-run double and a 6-4 lead.

The Red Sox threatened in the seventh when Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek led off with singles against Gregg, who retired all six batters he faced in the fifth and sixth innings.

Daubach squared to bunt and took the pitch, and Ramirez took too big of a secondary lead off second. Jose Molina, starting behind the plate in place of his brother, Bengie, gunned a throw to Eckstein at second to pick off Ramirez, puncturing the Red Sox rally.

Daubach then popped out to shortstop, and Scioscia summoned Rodriguez, who struck out Millar with a nasty slider to end the inning.

Kotchman was hit by a pitch to start the seventh, Molina walked, and Eckstein roped reliever Anastacio Martinez’s first pitch into the left-field corner for a run-scoring double and a 7-4 lead.

“We’re seeing the way he played a couple years ago,” Scioscia said of Eckstein, alluding to his injury-plagued 2003 season. “He’s healthy, and after a tough start, his whole game is falling into place. He’s playing good defense and setting the table. If he and Figgy can get on base in front of Vlad, that’s going to be big for us.”

Colon was also supposed to be big for the Angels, and he seemed to turn a corner in his last start, when he shook off a five-game slump to throw 6 2/3 sharp innings against Toronto, giving up four runs and seven hits and striking out seven. His fastball was crisp, touching 97 and 98 mph with regularity, and improved command enabled him to hit both corners consistently.

“He threw some darts,” Scioscia said.

Tuesday night, Colon was the dart board.

He gave up four runs and eight hits, and needed 109 pitches to complete four innings. He gave up a run-scoring double to Ramirez in the first, a solo home run to Millar in the second and run-scoring doubles to Ramirez and Varitek in the fourth.

Had Colon not struck out Kevin Youkilis and Pokey Reese with the bases loaded to end the third, his line would have been really ugly.

“He’ll have to do better than four innings, and his pitch count was through the roof,” Scioscia said. “But he turned it up a notch when he was in trouble and made some key pitches to keep us in the game.”

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Paying Off

The Angels’ Vladimir Guerrero has the highest batting average by players with a new team in 2004. (Stats before Tuesday’s games; minimum 100 at-bats):

*--* Player, team Average How acquired Vladimir Guerrero, Angels 348 Signed as free agent (Montreal) Juan Uribe, Chicago White Sox 335 Traded from Colorado Lyle Overbay, Milwaukee 330 Traded from Arizona Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit 328 Signed as free agent (Florida) Carlos Guillen, Detroit 328 Traded from Seattle Source: Stats Inc.

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