Lackey and Angels Are Tuning Up Well

John Lackey brushed a glossy finishing coat on his illustrious season in the Angels’ 7-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night, throwing five shutout innings at Ameriquest Field to finish with a 14-5 record, 3.44 earned-run average and 199 strikeouts, which rank third in the American League.

Vladimir Guerrero singled to extend his hitting streak against the Rangers to 35 games, matching the longest by a player against one team since Ken Griffey Jr. hit in 35 consecutive games against Cleveland from 1992 to ’96.

Kelvim Escobar tuned up for the playoffs with two scoreless innings, improving to 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in nine relief appearances, and the Angels improved to 19-9 this month, setting a franchise record for wins in September.

But the most important development, by far, came in the fifth inning, when Garret Anderson, mired in a one-for-24 slump, drove an R.A. Dickey pitch over the wall in right field for a three-run home run, giving the Angels a 5-0 lead.

With the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians battling for the last two AL playoff spots, the Angels still have no idea whom they will face in the division series, scheduled to start Tuesday.

But no matter which team they play, the Angels will be a much more formidable foe if Anderson, slowed by a stiff lower back, finds the stroke that seemed to desert him in recent weeks.

“We need G.A.,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He hasn’t been squaring the ball up like he can the last few weeks. Hopefully he can get it going in the playoffs.”

Anderson, who sat out two games after the Angels clinched the division title Tuesday, has been relegated to designated hitter for five games, and it appears doubtful he’ll play left field in the first round.

This is relevant because Anderson is a .310 hitter (130 for 420) with 15 home runs and 79 runs batted in as an outfielder this season and a .192 hitter (28 for 146) with one homer and 14 RBIs as a DH.

“Whether he’s a DH or in left field,” Scioscia said, “his confidence with the bat has to come around.”

Anderson also bats third, a critical spot because Guerrero hits behind him. The more often Anderson is on base, the tougher it will be for opponents to pitch around Guerrero.

“When we’ve had success in the playoffs before, we had a lineup full of guys getting hits one after another,” second baseman Adam Kennedy said. “But having Garret healthy and swinging like he can would be real big for us.”

So would having Lackey pitch in the playoffs as he has all season. The right-hander matched a career high in wins, he’s added veteran poise to his effective fastball-curve-changeup combination, and the Angels went 22-11 in his 33 starts.

“A lot of people had doubts about him, but he proved he’s a top-of-the-rotation pitcher,” Kennedy said. “We have the same feeling when he’s on the hill as we do with Bartolo [Colon].”

Colon and Lackey will start Games 1 and 2 of the division series, and Scioscia says he will not veer from that plan, no matter whom or where the Angels are playing.

Jarrod Washburn has pitched much better this season on the road (6-2, 2.70 ERA) than at home (2-6, 4.00 ERA) and has had considerable success in Yankee Stadium. But if the Angels open on the road, Washburn, who is 8-8 with a 3.23 ERA, would probably pitch Game 3 or 4 at Angel Stadium.

“I thought Washburn pitched some very good baseball at home,” Scioscia said. “He’s in the top 10 in the league in ERA; he must be doing something right.”

With the Angels’ first-round opponent undetermined, Scioscia, his coaches and front-office executives emerged from Friday’s planning meeting with three different 25-man playoff rosters, one for each potential opponent.

All three rosters have 10 pitchers and three catchers, meaning Josh Paul will be on the team and only one reliever from right-handers Kevin Gregg and Esteban Yan and left-hander Jason Christiansen will make it.

It might be easier from a scouting and preparation standpoint if the Angels could focus on one opponent, but Scioscia says he doesn’t believe he’s at any disadvantage.

“That might be an issue when you get to the World Series and you’re playing a club you haven’t seen before,” Scioscia said. “But whoever we play, we’re going to have enough of an understanding of them to prepare.”