Angels Shift Out of Park

Eight runs and 12 hits would constitute an explosive evening for the Angel offense. A month or so ago, eight runs and 12 hits would have been a decent series for the then-struggling Angels.

Tuesday night, the Angels had eight runs and 12 hits by the second inning, clobbering Texas starter Chan Ho Park and holding on during a white-knuckle ninth for an 8-6 victory over the Rangers in front of an announced 43,025 in Angel Stadium.

Right fielder Vladimir Guerrero continued his assault on Ranger pitching with three singles and a run batted in, first baseman Darin Erstad had three hits and two runs, extending his career-best hitting streak to 21 games, and third baseman Dallas McPherson had two hits and three RBIs to pace a 15-hit attack.

But not until closer Francisco Rodriguez, struggling with his control in a non-save situation, struck out Alfonso Soriano and got Richard Hidalgo to ground into a game-ending fielder’s choice with the tying runs on base did the Angels secure the victory that pushed their lead over Texas in the American League West to 3 1/2 games.

“It was huge to jump out in front, but you always had the sense they were going to make a run,” McPherson said. “They can put runs up in a hurry. An eight-run lead is not safe against anyone, especially not them.”

Texas, which leads the major leagues with 111 home runs and 259 extra-base hits, clawed back on David Dellucci’s three-run home run against starter Bartolo Colon in the fourth and consecutive doubles by Kevin Mench and Mark Teixeira against Brendan Donnelly in the seventh, which made it 8-4.

Scot Shields threw a scoreless eighth, but Rodriguez gave up a single to No. 9 hitter Rod Barajas to open the ninth. Dellucci struck out, and Rodriguez walked Mench, which brought Manager Mike Scioscia to the mound.

“I wanted to get a read on Frankie, make sure everything was OK,” Scioscia said. “My message was clear -- you have to get your stuff in the zone, or it’s not going to work for you. He has great stuff, but his ball-strike ratio was not in his favor.”

So, Rodriguez began throwing strikes ... and Teixeira and Hank Blalock hit run-scoring singles, cutting the Ranger deficit to 8-6. But Soriano, who ranks second in the AL with 19 home runs, struck out swinging through a 94-mph, full-count fastball, and Hidalgo grounded to short to end the game.

“It was a matter of getting into the flow of the game,” Scioscia said. “He’s fine, his pitches are there, but guys who close games sometimes have more of a lead and find it difficult to find that rhythm.”

Colon had a similar challenge. The Angel ace left 10 of his first 14 starts with support of two runs or less, so he wasn’t used to the early eight-run cushion. The right-hander needed 109 pitches to get through six innings and escaped bases-loaded jams in the first and third innings, improving to 9-4 despite not having his best stuff.

“I want to thank the guys because it made my job easier,” Colon, who retired eight batters in a row after Dellucci’s home run, said through an interpreter. “Actually, I got a little tired when I wasn’t on the mound [for so long] and it made it tough to find my rhythm. But it was really nice to work with those runs.”

The Angels’ seven hits in the first were a season-high for an inning, and they tacked on three runs and five hits in the second.

Erstad, who is hitting .385 (35 for 91) with 21 runs and 14 RBIs during his hitting streak, singled during both rallies, as did Guerrero, who is batting .421 (45 for 107) with 10 homers and 21 RBIs in 26 games against Texas.

Park, who had won his six previous decisions, looked as if he might minimize damage in the first when, in a 1-0 game, he got Garret Anderson to ground into a double play.

But Bengie Molina’s run-scoring single, Jeff DaVanon’s walk, McPherson’s two-run double and Adam Kennedy’s run-scoring single pushed the lead to 5-0.

Erstad, Guerrero and Anderson opened the second with singles, and Molina’s bases-loaded walk against John Wasdin and run-scoring singles by McPherson and Maicer Izturis made it 8-0.