Rivera Does It All for Angels

The Angels’ stated objective has been to get Garret Anderson back in left field as soon as possible. After watching Juan Rivera play left field in Tuesday night’s 7-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Camden Yards, the Angels may not be in such a rush to move Anderson out of the designated hitter spot.

Rivera threw out Sammy Sosa and Miguel Tejada at second base on balls off the left-center field wall that looked like sure doubles, providing the defensive highlights of a win that pushed the Angels 3 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the AL West.

Rivera also had four hits -- three singles and a double -- scored two runs and drove in two key insurance runs with two out in the top of the ninth inning when he doubled into the right-center field gap to give the Angels a 7-2 lead.

That hit turned out to be the difference when the Orioles loaded the bases off reliever Kevin Gregg with two out in the bottom of the ninth and Tejada, who hit a solo home run off reliever Scot Shields in the eighth, drove a Francisco Rodriguez fastball just over the right-field wall for a grand slam to pull Baltimore within 7-6.

But the Angel closer, who had a 7.27 earned-run average, three blown saves and two losses in his previous 10 appearances, was unfazed and struck out cleanup batter Javy Lopez on four pitches for his 29th save.

Left-hander Jarrod Washburn, who is still experiencing lingering tightness in his forearm, a condition that sent him to the disabled list in late July, gave up one run and eight hits, including Lopez’s solo home run in the fourth, to improve to 7-7.

The Angels scored one run in three of Washburn’s previous four starts, and it looked as if it might be another frustrating night when they loaded the bases with one out off Baltimore starter Eric DuBose in the first inning and failed to score.

But the Angels busted out for three runs in the second inning, which featured Orlando Cabrera’s two-out, two-run single, and two more runs in the third, which featured run-scoring singles by Chone Figgins and Cabrera.

“I was just happy we got three runs in the second,” Washburn said. “It’s one of those funny things. I know they’re not out there not trying to score for me. But it was good to see us break through with some hits and runs.”

Washburn enjoyed the defensive support too. With two out in the second, Sosa lined a ball to deep left-center and, thinking it was a homer, did his traditional hop out of the batter’s box. “I thought it was out,” Sosa said.

It wasn’t. The ball hit the wall on the fly, and Rivera, whose nonchalance as he approached the play may have given Sosa the impression it was a homer, gathered the ball, spun and fired a one-hop throw to Adam Kennedy, who had plenty of time to apply the tag at second.

“Sometimes I try to bait them to see if they run,” Rivera said through an interpreter. “Tonight, they did, and I made good throws to get them.”

Tejada led off the sixth with a one-hopper off the left-center field wall and sprinted out of the box. Rivera fielded the ball and made another strong one-hop throw to Kennedy, who slapped the tag on Tejada.

“When you make plays like that it’s a huge lift,” Washburn said. “[In the sixth] you go from a guy on first or second with no outs to no one on base and one out. That changes the complexion of the whole inning. That’s huge.”

So was Rivera’s double in the ninth. With two out, Anderson walked and Bengie Molina singled. Rivera, who has started nine of the Angels’ last 11 games in left field and is hitting .405 (15 for 37) with three homers and 12 RBIs in those games, lofted a double to deep right-center.

Anderson scored easily from second, and Molina, the heavy legged catcher who was on first, got the green light from third base coach Ron Roenicke when it appeared there was some confusion between the Oriole outfielders as to who would play the ball.

Molina scored and the Angels had a 7-2 lead.

“He couldn’t have split the gap any better,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Rivera’s hit. “He had a big night in the field and at the plate.”