Guillen, Guerrero Lead Way

So much for scouting reports and statistical breakdowns. Before Sunday’s game, many of the Angels didn’t even know Baltimore Oriole rookie Daniel Cabrera was a tall right-hander.

Somebody popped in a video of Cabrera’s start five days earlier against the Seattle Mariners, but the Angels seemed interested only when former teammate Scott Spiezio got thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.

Blissfully ignorant of an opposing pitcher who had won his only two major league starts, the Angels went out and scored three runs in the first inning of an 8-3 victory Sunday that gave them their fifth series sweep of the season and sent them on a six-game trip with momentum.

The Angels tagged Cabrera for nine of their 12 hits, got the leadoff batter on base in each of the first seven innings and extended the early lead on a bases-loaded double by Jose Guillen in the fourth and solo home runs by Vladimir Guerrero in the seventh and Shane Halter in the eighth.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia, effusive in his praise for the 6-foot-7 Cabrera before the game, said his batters looked for fastballs early in the count.

Several Angels jumped on first pitches -- including Guillen on his double, which extended the lead to 6-2 and came after the Orioles walked Guerrero intentionally.

Cabrera came in with a 1.42 earned-run average in victories over the Mariners and Chicago White Sox, but was replaced after throwing 87 pitches in four innings.

The Angels kept it simple against him and did their fine-tuning on the fly.

“My first at-bat I was late, so I made an adjustment and quickened my swing,” Guillen said.

“When a guy is throwing fastballs, you take a rip.”

Throwing more slowly and more effectively was Angel right-hander Aaron Sele (3-0), who gave up two earned runs in five innings.

Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez pitched out of problems in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, frustrating the Orioles (20-20), who left 11 runners on base.

“Our guys on the mound made terrific pitches to clean up the jams,” Scioscia said.

The Orioles scored once in the first on three consecutive singles, but Sele settled down and retired 10 in a row before a double by Jay Gibbons and a single by Larry Bigbie produced a run in the fourth.

The Orioles scored an unearned run in the fifth, and although Sele stranded runners at second and third by getting Javier Lopez to fly out, he had thrown 92 pitches and Shields took over in the sixth.

“I battled through today and it was a good team win,” Sele said. “My ball was up a little bit, but if you give up hits, give up singles. That’s what I did.”

Said Scioscia: “That’s an indication of how far along he’s come. He has such confidence right now, he can get outs without his best stuff.”

And the Angels (29-15) keep winning without their best lineup. Despite having four regulars sidelined by injuries, they have the best record in the majors, hold a 3 1/2-game lead in the West over the Texas Rangers, and have equaled the best start in club history.

Off-season additions Guerrero and Guillen have provided enough big hits to mask the absence of Garrett Anderson, Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon.

Guerrero was three for three, improving his average to .345, and drove in two runs. Guillen is batting .313 and has 35 runs batted in, including 23 in May.

In fact, if Guillen keeps up this pace, teams might become wary of walking Guerrero to get to him.

“It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last,” Guillen said. “Maybe they learned a lesson. You’ve got to be ready for those situations and keep producing throughout the season.

“Our whole lineup is hitting. A lot of guys are contributing. We’ve really been playing great lately.”