Angels Put It Together to Finish Sweep of Tigers

Angel designated hitter Troy Glaus’ shoulders were still sore from a spill he took in Minnesota last Friday, left fielder Jose Guillen’s left wrist was still a little sore from being hit by pitches twice in early April, and pitcher Kelvim Escobar was so sore at umpire Alfonso Marquez in the sixth inning Wednesday night that he got ejected.

Yet, it was the Detroit Tigers who left Anaheim on Wednesday night in a world of hurt after the Angels completed a three-game sweep with a 6-3 victory in front of 39,827 at Angel Stadium, winning for the 11th time in 13 games.

Glaus, the third baseman who was relegated to DH for the fourth consecutive game, keyed a three-run rally in the third inning with an RBI single and blasted his American League-leading 10th home run to center field in the fifth.

Guillen ripped a two-run home run to left in the second, had an RBI single in the third and is batting .378 (17 for 45) with four homers and 15 runs batted in in his last 12 games. He reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances before grounding out in the fifth.

And Escobar, who was scratched from his last start because of a split fingernail on his middle finger, threw 5 2/3 solid innings, giving up three runs and four hits to improve to 2-1, though his exit was as notable as his performance.

The right-hander’s 108th pitch was smacked to right-center for a two-run single in the sixth by Bobby Higginson, a hit that pulled the Tigers within 6-3.

As Manager Mike Scioscia summoned reliever Kevin Gregg, Escobar, upset about two pitches he thought should have been called for strikes on Higginson, barked at Marquez as he walked to the dugout.

Marquez ejected Escobar, and the pitcher responded by raising his right hand -- no, he wasn’t showing Marquez where he split his fingernail -- and clapping his glove to mock the umpire. Scioscia questioned the ejection and was thrown out too.

“I don’t know why he tossed me, because I didn’t say anything bad,” Escobar said. “I was just frustrated because I thought I threw some good pitches there, and one of those two pitches would have gotten me out of that inning.”

Escobar wasn’t the only Angel harboring ill will. Guillen, who signed a two-year, $6-million deal with the Angels after playing for four teams the previous three years, had his own motivation against the Tigers.

“This winter, I was talking to my agent, and I said, ‘What about Detroit?’ ” said Guillen, who had a reputation as a bit of a hothead. “He said, ‘The GM doesn’t want any troublemakers.’ I was thinking about that for a long time. It made me want to show him something -- what he’s missing.”

Detroit Manager Alan Trammell has probably seen enough of the Angels for a while. The Angels won five of six against the Tigers the last two weeks, outscoring Detroit, 52-33, and they showed that even without Garret Anderson and Tim Salmon, their lineup can be formidable.

Case in point: In the third inning Wednesday, Trammell ordered an intentional walk to No. 3 batter Vladimir Guerrero, who was hitting .465 (30 for 43) in his previous 10 games, to face Glaus, the league’s home run and RBI leader.

Glaus singled in a run, and Guillen and Bengie Molina followed with RBI singles to give the Angels a 5-0 lead.

“It was a dilemma,” Trammell said. “It did not work out, as you saw.”

Said Scioscia: “It’s pick your poison. It can be tough.”

About as tough as it is to hit Angel set-up man Francisco Rodriguez right now. After Gregg threw 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings, Rodriguez struck out the side -- Ivan Rodriguez, Rondell White and Carlos Pena -- in 11 pitches in the eighth, extending his string of innings without an earned run this season to 14 2/3.

Closer Troy Percival retired the side in order in the ninth for his ninth save, continuing a remarkable two-week run for the Angel bullpen.

After giving up 26 earned runs in 50 1/3 innings in the first 15 games for a 4.65 ERA, Angel relievers have combined to give up six earned runs in 40 1/3 innings in the last 13 games for a 1.34 ERA.