Victory Absolves Angels of Sins

Three days into the 2005 season, and the Angels have played three one-run games, two decided in the last at-bat, one going 12 innings; they’ve blown two saves, used their bullpen for 12 2/3 innings and Thursday night had a starting pitcher throw 48 pitches ... in one inning.

Is this any way to run away with a division title?

The Angels may be overwhelming favorites to win the American League West, but the Texas Rangers served notice they will be reckoned with, erasing three- and two-run deficits Thursday night before finally succumbing to the Angels, 7-6, before 35,169 in Angel Stadium.

Catcher Bengie Molina provided the key blow, a three-run home run off R.A. Dickey to give the Angels a 6-4 lead in the fifth, and center fielder Steve Finley provided the game-winning blow, a walk-off single in the ninth off Brian Shouse that gave the Angels two wins over the Rangers in three games.

“I’ve seen this division from afar the last few years, and every week, it seems like there’s a new team on top,” Finley said. “It’s going to be a dogfight. These were three great games. The fans got their money’s worth, that’s for sure.”

With the score tied at 6-6, Jeff DaVanon and Vladimir Guerrero opened the ninth with walks. Garret Anderson, who had three hits, beat out a fielder’s choice, sending DaVanon to third. One pitch after fouling off a suicide squeeze attempt, Finley lined his hit to left, past a drawn-in infield, for the sudden-death win.

“Those were an exciting three games,” Angel reliever Scot Shields said. “You can tell it’s going to go down to the wire again. Texas is a good team. They battled all last year, and they have one of the best lineups in the league.”

Doesn’t Shields know it. After Brendan Donnelly gave up a solo homer to Alfonso Soriano in the seventh, Shields was summoned to protect a 6-5 lead in the ninth because Manager Mike Scioscia did not want to use closer Francisco Rodriguez for a third consecutive game.

David Dellucci walked, and with No. 9 hitter Rod Barajas at the plate, Shields threw two wild pitches to send Dellucci to third. Barajas then walked to put runners on first and third with none out and the top of the order up.

Soriano struck out looking, and Hank Blalock worked the count full before striking out on an 85-mph sinker in the dirt. One out away from a harrowing escape by Shields, Michael Young lined a single to center to score the tying run.

“I was close, man,” Shields said. “First and third, no outs, and the top of their order coming up ... that’s no easy task. I got two guys but left a pitch up to Young.”

Shields, the rubber-armed right-hander who threw 67 pitches in the first three games, wasn’t the only Angel pitcher feeling a little loopy Thursday night.

Starter John Lackey was like a boxer who is way ahead on all scorecards after four rounds, who is clearly punishing his opponent, but is stunned by a knockout blow in the fifth.

The Angel right-hander needed only 49 pitches to breeze through four no-hit innings, striking out the side in the first, but threw a whopping 48 pitches in Texas’ four-run fifth.

Staked to a 3-0 lead on Anderson’s run-scoring double and Finley’s run-scoring single in the first, and Darin Erstad’s double and DaVanon’s run-scoring single in the second, Lackey collapsed in the fifth.

It began with Richard Hidalgo’s single to center. Adrian Gonzalez then worked a 15-pitch at-bat, fouling off 10 pitches, six in a row at one point, before drawing a walk that took a considerable toll on Lackey.

Gary Matthews flied to left, but Dellucci lined a two-run double to left-center, pulling the Rangers within 3-2. Dellucci took third on Barajas’ groundout and scored the tying run on Lackey’s wild pitch.

Soriano walked and took third on Blalock’s double to left-center. Young then worked a seven-pitch at-bat, and Lackey, looking completely gassed, slipped on the mound and bounced ball four past Molina for a wild pitch that scored Soriano for a 4-3 Texas lead.