Rich Gets Richer for A’s

The Angels had Rich Harden on the ropes.

Runners on first and second, one out, the heart of their batting order coming to the plate in the third inning.

But Vladimir Guerrero popped out to first base on the first pitch he saw and Garret Anderson followed by striking out, and Harden was on his way.

Beginning with Guerrero, Harden would retire 16 consecutive Angel batters, 19 of the next 20, and although the hard-throwing right-hander was finally touched for a run with two out in the ninth, he had more than enough to get his Oakland Athletics a 3-1 victory Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.

“Early runs are important against anyone,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “But especially when you’re facing a pitcher throwing as well as Harden’s been throwing.

“He got out of that jam.”

With a high-90s fastball, a split-finger and a changeup, Harden, who improved to 7-4, 5-1 with a 1.33 earned-run average in six starts since coming off the disabled list on June 21, threw his repertoire at the Angels and kept them off balance.

Harden gave up one run in 8 2/3 innings while giving up four hits, striking out eight and walking three.

He also negated a decent start from Jarrod Washburn, whose record fell to 6-5 after he gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings. The left-hander had five strikeouts and walked four batters.

Oakland scored in the third, when Jason Kendall’s sacrifice fly out to center brought home Mark Ellis, who had tripled; in the sixth, when Jay Payton’s single drove in Mark Kotsay, who had doubled; and in the seventh, on Dan Johnson’s solo home run.

“I could have put up more zeroes,” Washburn said. “But [Harden is] filthy. He has some of the best stuff in the game.”

Washburn also talked of the A’s recent run of quality starters, a cast that includes Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and today’s starter, Barry Zito.

“Harden is maybe the best of all of them,” Washburn said. “What is he, 23? Crazy. He’s already one of the best in the game at 23, and he’s only going to get better.”

Harden, who had taken a perfect game into the eighth inning of his previous start against Texas before settling for the first shutout of his career, a two-hitter, was one out from getting consecutive shutouts.

After Steve Finley singled to right with two out and took second on defensive indifference, Bengie Molina’s single scored Finley.

Enter Oakland’s rookie closer, Huston Street, who got rookie Maicer Izturis to fly out to left to end the game for his sixth save.

With the loss, the Angels (56-38) saw their lead in the American League West drop to seven games over the Texas Rangers. The A’s (48-45) are 7 1/2 games back.

More telling for the Angels, though, is their lack of offensive punch.

The Angels have not hit a home run in a season-high six games, and they have not had a double-digit hit game in eight in a row, batting .205 in that span.

Guerrero is in a three-for-38 slump (.079), and Scioscia said that he has contemplated giving the reigning AL most valuable player a day off to regroup. Plus, Anderson is batting .171 over his last 11 games.

“Vladi and Garret are in a little bit of a soft time, but we know what these guys might be and what they’ll do and they’ll get it back,” Scioscia said.

In a non-hold, non-save situation, reliever Brendan Donnelly also saw some time, working a scoreless ninth inning.

“The more I pitch, the better I am,” said Donnelly, who made only his third appearance since June 30. “There’s a fine line between being tired and being sharp.”

So what is he now, tired or sharp?

“I don’t know,” he said.

And for one night, the Angels had no answers for Harden either.