Angels Enjoy Lima Time

Maybe the Dodgers got it right when they opted not to re-sign Jose Lima after he pitched them to their first postseason victory since 1988.

Lima is a fun guy to have in the clubhouse and can deliver a stirring rendition of the national anthem. But in his first two starts of 2005, he has shown little resemblance to the pitcher who last season shut out the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division series.

The Angels hammered that point home Saturday night by rocking Lima for seven early runs during an 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals in front of 42,007 at Angel Stadium.

Vladimir Guerrero delivered the biggest blow of the Angels’ five-run fourth inning with a two-run, first-pitch single up the middle, and Garret Anderson followed with the knockout punch, a run-scoring double over center fielder David DeJesus’ head that prompted Royal Manager Tony Pena to remove Lima.

“This was the first game we showed glimpses of the team we need to be on the offensive side,” said Angel Manager Mike Scioscia, whose team had averaged 3.5 runs in the first four games.

Kevin Gregg was hardly masterful in his fill-in start for injured Angel teammate Kelvim Escobar, lasting only five so-so innings, but he didn’t have to be especially sharp on a night Lima couldn’t make it out of the fourth.

Esteban Yan pitched three scoreless innings of relief and Bret Prinz added a scoreless ninth for the Angels, who have alternated wins and losses in their first five games.

Lima gave up eight hits and seven runs -- three earned --in 3 2/3 innings in what might have qualified as an improvement over his season debut, a three-inning stint against the Detroit Tigers in which he gave up five runs and three homers.

Kansas City second baseman Ruben Gotay helped shorten “Lima Time” by committing an error in the fourth that led to four unearned runs. After Bengie Molina stroked a one-out single to right-center, Maicer Izturis hit a ground ball to third baseman Tony Graffanino, who threw to Gotay for an apparent force at second.

But second base umpire Rob Drake ruled that Gotay’s foot never touched the bag, putting runners on first and second. Chone Figgins and Darin Erstad followed with run-scoring singles before Guerrero and Anderson finished off Lima.

Lima (0-2) labored early, walking Orlando Cabrera to bring home a run in the first on his 30th pitch before retiring Molina on a groundout to leave the bases loaded.

Izturis, making his first start as an Angel, played flawless defense at third base and tripled to left-center leading off the second, eventually scoring on Figgins’ sacrifice fly to give the Angels a 2-1 lead.

“The big thing was the range he gave us at third,” Scioscia said of Izturis. “He went to both sides.”

Said Izturis through an interpreter: “It’s a new position for me, so I’ve been working [hard] since spring training. The only thing I can do is come prepared to play.”

Gregg struggled with his command in his first start since Sept. 14, 2003, issuing four walks to go with a wild pitch. Gregg (1-0) also hit a batter and yielded three hits, including a mammoth two-run homer to Matt Stairs in the fifth that pulled the Royals to within 7-3.

“I struggled through the first couple of innings,” said Gregg, who needed 51 pitches to get through the second. “But Bengie helped pull me together, and we got five innings out of it.”

Molina homered off Kansas City reliever Shawn Camp in the eighth to account for the final run.

The Angels hope Escobar, recovering from a sprained right elbow, can return April 19, the next time the team needs a fifth starter.