Angels Feeling Pain of Victory

The theme from “MASH” came over the Turner Field loudspeakers Wednesday night as Jeff DaVanon, his nose fractured, was helped off the field.

Strange, the song was not heard two nights earlier, when the Angels’ Darin Erstad crushed Atlanta Brave catcher Johnny Estrada in a home-plate collision, landing Estrada in the hospital and making Erstad Public Enemy No. 1.

Still, while the song may have been appropriate in the postgame Angel clubhouse -- starter Kelvim Escobar also left because of discomfort in his right (pitching) elbow -- the walking wounded that are the Angels found solace in their 8-4 defeat of the Braves in front of an announced 27,747.

After all, the Angels (34-25) took two of three from the Braves (31-28) in the interleague series and regained first place by a game in the American League West after dropping two of three in previous series at Chicago and Boston.

DaVanon and Escobar will be reevaluated today in New York and should both be put on the disabled list, the Angels could activate right fielder Vladimir Guerrero from the DL and recall right-hander Ervin Santana from triple-A Salt Lake.

“It better not be a DL situation,” said DaVanon, who suffered the injury chasing a fourth-inning fly ball off the bat of the Braves’ Rafael Furcal.

The ball glanced off a sprinting DaVanon’s glove first, hit the right-center field wall, then DaVanon’s nose before he hit face-first into the padded wall.

“I’d be very disappointed.”

The fateful fourth inning was full of disappointment for the Angels.

Furcal’s triple was the first hit off Escobar, who had retired the first nine batters he faced.

Escobar, making his third start after his second stint on the DL because of arm trouble, labored through the inning, needing 40 pitches, though the Braves scored four runs in the inning helped in part by two wild pitches and a hit batter.

Three batters into the fifth, Escobar was done, the bone spur in his elbow too painful to continue after 81 pitches, 41 strikes.

“I felt it in the third inning and it got worse in the fourth,” said Escobar, who will undergo an MRI exam today. “It was the same pain as three weeks ago.”

Surgery to shave the spur, which would sideline him for about two months, is an option but Escobar is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“You don’t want to get hurt ... being Superman. That’s what I’ve been doing,” he said. “You have to think about your career.

“Now, I’m concerned with my elbow.”

Brave starter Tim Hudson left with cramps in the fifth inning, with the score tied, 4-4.

The Angels touched left-handed reliever John Foster (1-1) for three runs in the seventh, the big hit Dallas McPherson’s triple into the left-field corner, and scored another in the eighth when Garret Anderson singled home Erstad.

McPherson played in front of “way more” than 30 friends and family members from Randleman, N.C. The rookie third baseman equaled his career high with three hits.

“I got some good pitches to hit,” he said, “and I squared them up.”

The Braves had no such luck against Angel relievers Jake Woods, Brendan Donnelly (4-1), Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez, who retired 14 of the last 15 Atlanta hitters, including 12 in a row.

Chone Figgins, making his first start of the season at shortstop, stole two bases and was three for five with two runs batted in and Erstad extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

“Any time you can come in here and beat a tough team like Atlanta, we’ll take it,” said Angel Manager Mike Scioscia.