Angels Pitch and Catch

Had Angel pitcher Ervin Santana given up a two-run double to Mark Ellis in the eighth inning Thursday night, Manager Mike Scioscia would have been ripped for sticking too long with the rookie right-hander, much as Scioscia was criticized for pulling Santana too early in an Aug. 10 loss to Oakland.

Whether it was a hesitancy to go to a once-stout bullpen that was torched often in August or an infusion of confidence in his kid pitcher’s stuff, Scioscia gave Santana a chance to clean up his mess and was amply rewarded.

With a two-run lead, runners on the corners and one out, Santana, on his 101st pitch, got Ellis to hit a chopper right to the second base bag, where Angel shortstop Orlando Cabrera grabbed the ball, stepped on second and threw to first to complete a double play that preserved an eventual 3-0 victory over the Athletics in Angel Stadium.

Santana thrust both arms into the air after the double play, probably figuring his night was finished. But Scioscia, who yanked Santana after six innings of one-run, four-hit ball Aug. 10, a game in which Scot Shields blew a 2-1 lead and lost, 4-3, let Santana start the ninth.

Eric Chavez’s one-out double on Santana’s 113th pitch brought Scioscia to the mound, and the manager was booed by the home crowd on a night he registered his 500th win with the Angels.

Santana, who gave up six hits, struck out four and walked none in 8 1/3 innings to improve to 8-6, got a rousing standing ovation, waving his cap to the crowd before disappearing into the Angel dugout.

The change was prudent. Closer Francisco Rodriguez came on to retire Dan Johnson and Jay Payton for his 32nd save, and the Angels pulled even with the A’s atop the American League West and with the New York Yankees in the wild-card standings.

“I would have loved to have seen Ervin finish that game,” Scioscia said, “but it was time for a fresh horse, and Frankie got it done.”

Santana was dominant, mixing his 95-mph fastball with his changeup and an occasional slider.

After Ellis opened the game with a double, Santana, who was shelled for seven runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings of last Friday’s 12-8 loss to Tampa Bay, retired 20 of 21 batters before Payton’s two-out single in the seventh.

Santana’s performance capped a remarkable three-game run by Angel starters, who gave up one run in 24 2/3 innings to help the Angels win two of three from the A’s. Bartolo Colon and John Lackey were superb in the first two games.

“It’s pretty outstanding, and it’s been like that for a while now,” Angel second baseman Adam Kennedy said. “Man, the way this pitching staff is throwing, especially this time of year, it’s pretty special. It makes it tough for the opponent and gives us a good feeling.”

Though it wasn’t a breakout night for the Angel offense, which has produced 10 runs and a .210 average in the last five games, the Angels did get three hits, a run and two stolen bases from leadoff batter Chone Figgins, a clutch, two-out, run-scoring single from Bengie Molina in the third inning and Robb Quinlan’s solo homer in the fourth.

And there was this significant and possibly encouraging development in the eighth: Vladimir Guerrero actually drove a ball.

Guerrero, mired in a 13-for-56 (.232) slump in which he has shattered numerous bats and hit a number of bloops while swinging at far too many pitches out of the strike zone, squared up a Jay Witasick pitch in the eighth, sending it off the wall in right-center for a leadoff double.

Kiko Calero relieved Witasick and struck out Molina, who had tried to bunt, and Darin Erstad was intentionally walked. After pinch-hitter Casey Kotchman struck out, Guerrero took off for third on a two-strike pitch to Quinlan.

The pitch was outside for a ball, catcher Jason Kendall’s throw was wide of third and hit Guerrero in the right hand before dribbling into left field for an error that enabled Guerrero to score for a 3-0 lead.

Guerrero had come up with runners on first and third in each of his first two at-bats, but he popped to second in the first inning and hit a soft liner to short in the third.

But Molina came through in the third, grounding a single to left to score Figgins, who led off with a single and took third on Garret Anderson’s single to left.

Quinlan’s homer off starter Joe Kennedy made it 2-0 in the fourth.

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AL races

American League West division and wild-card standings:

*--* AL WEST W-L PCT. GB ANGELS 75-58 564 -- Oakland 75-58 564 -- Texas 65-69 485 10 1/2 Seattle 57-76 424 18

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*--* WILD CARD W-L PCT. GB ANGELS/Oak. 75-58 564 -- New York 75-58 564 -- Cleveland 74-59 556 1 Minnesota 70-63 526 5

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GREAT STARTS

Statistics for Angel starting pitchers in three games against Oakland:

*--* Day Pitcher IP H R ER BB K Tues. Bartolo Colon 9.1 6 1 1 1 3 Wed. John Lackey 7.0 3 0 0 4 7 Thurs. Ervin Santana 8.1 6 0 0 0 4

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