Kotchman Leads Angel Onslaught

Had Angel first baseman Darin Erstad not strained his right hamstring last weekend, Casey Kotchman would have been in Little Rock, Ark., on Wednesday, playing a Texas League game against El Paso alongside teammates such as Alberto Callaspo and Nick Gorneault.

Then fate intervened on Kotchman’s behalf. Because Erstad was put on the disabled list, Kotchman, 21, found himself in Yankee Stadium in the top of the eighth inning Wednesday night, with the bases loaded and the Angels clinging to a two-run lead.

Put most kids in a similar situation and they’d be quaking in their cleats, but the cool and confident Kotchman stroked a three-run double to left-center off reliever Paul Quantrill to break open the game and catapult the Angels toward an 11-2 victory over the New York Yankees in front of 49,954.

Their pregame mood soured by news that slugger Troy Glaus would return to Southern California today to have his sprained right knee and sore left shoulder examined, things brightened considerably for the Angels after right-hander Aaron Sele took the mound and Kotchman and designated hitter Jose Guillen started swinging their bats.

Sele, providing further proof he is fully recovered from his post-2002 shoulder surgery, gave up two runs and six hits in six innings to help the Angels to their 10th win in 11 games and equal their best 34-game start (23-11) in franchise history.

Guillen, making his first start since suffering what appeared to be a significant knee injury Sunday, hit a two-run home run in the first, doubled off the center-field wall in the ninth and scored three runs.

And Kotchman, who grew up shadowing his father, Tom, who has spent the last 15 seasons managing Angel rookie-league clubs in Utah and Idaho, singled in the sixth and provided the decisive blow in the eighth.

“I think he’s well past what his experience and age would indicate,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Kotchman.

“He was raised in a pro ball environment. Nothing is going to put him in awe, but he also realizes the challenge here. He’s very mature and handles himself well.”

Yankee starter Javier Vazquez had given up four hits in seven innings but was pulled in favor of Quantrill after Chone Figgins’ one-out double and Jeff DaVanon’s run-scoring double in the eighth extended the Angel lead to 4-2.

Vladimir Guerrero was walked intentionally, and after DaVanon and Guerrero pulled off a double steal, Guillen was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Up stepped Kotchman, who in his previous at-bat was thrown out by Yankee right fielder Gary Sheffield while trying to stretch a single to a double in the sixth.

Kotchman atoned for the mistake by lining a shot into the left-center field gap that rolled all the way to the wall, scoring three runs for a 7-2 lead.

Shane Halter’s run-scoring single made it 8-2, and Adam Kennedy, who smashed a solo home run into the upper deck in right field in the fifth, sparked a three-run rally with a leadoff single in the ninth.

“It was a fastball outside, and I was just trying not to do too much -- I wanted to get the runner in from third,” said Kotchman, who hit in the fifth spot.

“Any time you can help the club win, that’s what we’re here for.”

Asked why he hasn’t been intimidated by his new surroundings, Kotchman said, “I’m not really sure. I’m trying not to think too much.”

Guillen seemed to have as good a shot of playing in Yankee Stadium this week as Kotchman did before Erstad got hurt. Four days ago, Guillen was put on a gurney and carted off the Angel Stadium field after injuring his right knee and ankle sliding into second base.

Guillen sat out Tuesday’s game and said he would be examined by a physician Wednesday. He also said he might undergo an MRI test, an indication that his discomfort was substantial.

But Guillen did not see a doctor or enter an MRI tube. Instead, he was inserted in the starting lineup -- originally in left field but moved to designated hitter after Glaus was scratched -- and he belted the first pitch he saw in three days, a Vazquez fastball, over the center-field wall for a two-run home run in the first.

Garnering support from a knee brace, Guillen also scored from first on Kotchman’s eighth-inning double and from second on a ninth-inning error by Yankee first baseman Jason Giambi.

“I’ve played through tough injuries before, so to me, this was nothing,” Guillen said.

“I broke my leg playing for Tampa Bay in 1999, I put a knee brace on and started playing when I wasn’t 100%. I know how to play through injuries.”

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Fast Times

A look at the Angels’ best starts:

THROUGH 34 GAMES

*--* Season Rec. Pct. 2004 23-11 676 1970 23-11 676 1995 21-13 618 1989 21-13 618 1982 21-13 618 1985 20-14 588 1978 20-14 588

*--*

THROUGH 35 GAMES

*--* Season Rec. Pct. 1970 23-12 657 2004 -- -- 1995 22-13 629 1989 22-13 629 1982 22-13 629 1978 21-14 600 1985 20-15 571

*--*