Late-Breakout Win for Angels

In desperate need of a clutch hit after teetering in the batter’s box the previous two nights, the Angels received two Friday in front of 42,431 at Angel Stadium while rediscovering their offensive mojo during a 7-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer inside the left-field foul pole in the seventh inning and Garret Anderson lined a two-out, two-run single off leaping third baseman Joe Crede’s glove in the eighth to lessen the pain caused by consecutive one-run losses to the last-place Toronto Blue Jays.

“When guys are on base, I don’t think there are two guys we want up there more than Vlad and G.A.,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Tonight, they came through.”

After Chicago had rallied with three runs in the eighth to tie the score at 5-5, David Eckstein, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter during the Angels’ four-run seventh, led off the bottom of the eighth with an infield single.

Eckstein went to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved up again on a groundout before Damaso Marte, Chicago’s sixth pitcher, intentionally walked Guerrero to put runners on first and third.

Guerrero stole second before Anderson drove in his second and third runs of the game.

“He just got enough of it,” Scioscia said of Anderson, who has 28 RBIs in his last 26 games. “It felt good when it squeaked over [Crede’s] glove.”

Troy Percival pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 28th save for the Angels, who pulled to within one game of the Oakland Athletics in the American League West but remained five games behind the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card standings.

The Angels might have suffered a potentially damaging loss when Jose Guillen had to leave after the seventh with a stretched nerve in his right arm. Scioscia said the Angels would be cautious with the left fielder, who recently sat out two games because of soreness and general fatigue.

“If we have to give him two to three days to save 20 days, we’ll do it,” Scioscia said.

The White Sox rallied for three eighth-inning runs off reliever Francisco Rodriguez (3-1) after second baseman Adam Kennedy misplayed leadoff batter Carlos Lee’s grounder for an error.

Paul Konerko followed with a single to right and Ross Gload drove in Lee with a ground-rule double to right. Timo Perez singled to left with one out to drive in Konerko. Left fielder Jeff DaVanon’s one-hop throw to the plate beat Gload but bounced off catcher Jose Molina’s lower body, allowing Gload to tie the score.

“We didn’t lose our concentration,” Guerrero said of the mood in the Angel dugout after the White Sox rally. “We just came back and won the game.”

The Angels had struck for four runs against five pitchers in the seventh to take a 5-2 lead.

Bengie Molina drew a leadoff walk and pinch-runner Dallas McPherson, making his major league debut, went to second on Eckstein’s sacrifice bunt. After Chone Figgins walked on a full count and Darin Erstad drove in McPherson with a bloop single to center, Guerrero hit a first-pitch fastball from reliever Jon Adkins over the left-field wall for his 30th homer.

“We expect those things from those guys,” Angel starting pitcher John Lackey said of Guerrero and Anderson. “Those guys have been doing it all year for us.”

Lackey did not receive a decision despite posting his 12th quality start, giving up eight hits and two runs in six innings.

The Angels pressured White Sox starter Jon Garland, generating at least one baserunner in each of the first seven innings, but could break through for only one run before the seventh.

Garland labored throughout his 6 1/3 innings, reaching three-ball counts on 10 hitters and throwing only 54 of his 103 pitches for strikes.