Guerrero Is Taking What He Can Get

Vladimir Guerrero finally got a few fastballs to hit Sunday, and the Angel slugger didn’t waste them, lining a Kris Benson offering an estimated 413 feet to left-center for a home run in the first inning and a Sendy Rleal offering an estimated 385 feet to right-center for a home run in the seventh.

Guerrero, who also had a run-scoring single in the fifth inning of a 9-3 victory over the Orioles, has been served a steady diet of breaking balls and off-speed pitches this season, many of them out of the strike zone, and he’s doing what he can with them. His average after Sunday’s game was .444.

But Guerrero’s first-inning homer was his first extra-base hit since he homered off Seattle left-hander Jamie Moyer in the first inning of the Angels’ April 3 season opener. His other 16 hits entering Sunday were singles.

“The Orioles, to their credit, haven’t shied away from throwing fastballs,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “I’ve had to make adjustments. Sometimes, there are fastballs I’ve missed. But there have been more pitches out of the strike zone. I’m used to it. I’ve faced it my whole career.”

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Two injuries put a damper on the Angel victory, but neither is considered serious enough to send designated hitter Tim Salmon or closer Francisco Rodriguez to the disabled list.

Salmon, who returned after missing all of 2005 because of shoulder and knee surgeries, tweaked his right groin while running from first to second on a hit-and-run play in the second inning and was pulled after his check-swing single in the fourth.

Rodriguez, who entered in the ninth inning of a lopsided game to get some work because he hadn’t pitched in six days, suffered what he and Angel trainers believed was a cramp in his right hamstring after a pitch to Javy Lopez. Rodriguez was replaced by Brendan Donnelly, who recorded two outs with runners on second and third to end the game.

“They’re both listed as day to day,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “I don’t anticipate them going on the DL.”

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He went hitless in three at-bats, but Sunday was a day to savor for Jeff Mathis, the Angels’ rookie catcher.

The Angels went 0-4 in Mathis’ first four starts, giving up 33 runs in the games. Sunday, Mathis was on the receiving end of John Lackey’s eight-inning gem, in which the Angel right-hander gave up two runs and six hits, struck out five and walked none.

“We got together before the game and went over how I was going to go after those guys,” Lackey said. “He really listened and put the game plan to work. I didn’t shake him off much, and he made a few suggestions that I wouldn’t have thought of.”

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Scioscia picked a good time to give utility infielder Maicer Izturis his first start Sunday. In addition to his two hits, three runs and successful squeeze bunt, Izturis dropped Brian Roberts’ eighth-inning liner with a runner on first, scooped the ball up and tossed to second to start a double play.

“You couldn’t have been more involved in a game than Izzy was today,” Scioscia said. “He played a terrific game.”

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Dallas McPherson struck out twice Saturday night, giving him 24 strikeouts in his first 40 at-bats for triple-A Salt Lake, but the third baseman also had a triple, a double, a single and five runs batted in to lead Salt Lake to a 15-1 win over Portland.