Lackey Rides Out Turbulence

John Lackey was like a jet pilot low on fuel, looking for the best place to ditch, when suddenly a stiff tailwind came along and carried him safely to his destination.

The Angel right-hander began the fifth inning Wednesday afternoon at Angel Stadium having thrown 69 pitches, and that was after setting down Detroit in order in the fourth.

But there was Lackey three innings later, still atop the mound and making things miserable for the Tigers in a 4-0 victory.

“We were hoping that he could get through six [innings], and he found a second wind and got through seven and eight and pitched a terrific game,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Lackey gave up only one hit but walked five during eight innings, and by the time he departed to a standing ovation from the crowd and round of high-fives in the dugout after his 117th pitch, the Angels were well on their way to their second shutout in three games.

“We didn’t muster any offense at all,” Manager Jim Leyland said. “We got one hit. That pretty much sums it up.”

The Tigers actually had a second hit, in the ninth inning, when Magglio Ordonez blooped a one-out single to right field against Scot Shields, but right fielder Vladimir Guerrero threw a strike to first baseman Casey Kotchman, who tagged Ordonez for the second out after Ordonez had taken a wide turn around the bag.

With the crowd chanting “Vladdy! Vladdy!” in appreciation of the throw and Guerrero’s two-run home run in the third inning, Shields recorded the final out to cap an Angel triumph that offered a little of everything.

Solid hitting? The Angels produced nine hits, one more than the total they had in the first two games of the series, and Guerrero homered for the first time this season at Angel Stadium.

Jaw-dropping defense? Second baseman Howie Kendrick, making his major league debut, started a nifty double play in the eighth inning and Guerrero thwarted any chance of a Tiger comeback in the ninth.

Superb pitching? Lackey struck out eight and allowed only two runners to reach second base, improving to 5-0 with a 3.47 earned-run average against the Tigers.

Lackey (3-1) retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced and worked his way out of trouble after pitching himself into two-out, two-on messes in the second and fifth innings.

After issuing consecutive walks with two out in the second inning, Lackey struck out Craig Monroe, who would later break up Lackey’s no-hit bid with a one-out single to center field in the fifth. Lackey eventually walked Curtis Granderson, putting runners on first and second, before inducing an inning-ending popup by Placido Polanco.

“I think the biggest key was that I was commanding the fastball inside on guys,” said Lackey, who issued all five walks on full counts. “That made them have to respect everything on the other side of the plate.”

Scioscia said Lackey’s command was “better than the five walks would indicate. He was just missing.”

Lackey became more economical the longer he pitched, needing only 12 pitches to complete the fifth inning, 11 in the sixth, nine in the seventh and 16 in the eighth, which he ended by striking out Polanco.

“Any time your starting pitcher comes out and doesn’t let them score, it gives you a chance to do some things,” said Garret Anderson, whose run-scoring single in the third inning ended starter Mike Maroth’s scoreless streak at 19 1/3 innings.

The Angels did most of their damage against Maroth (3-1) with two out in the third inning.

Orlando Cabrera singled to deep short and took second base when shortstop Carlos Guillen’s throw bounced past first baseman Chris Shelton. After Anderson’s run-scoring single, Guerrero hit his fifth homer, catching up with a 2-and-0 fastball on the inside corner and sending it into the left-field seats.

“Not a bad pitch,” Maroth said. “With Guerrero, if the ball’s over the plate it’s a pitch he can hit.”