Sox Hit Up Angels Again, 8-5

After the Chicago White Sox humbled the Angels here last October, the Angels plotted their revenge: We will make you weaker. We will steal your slugger. We will hit.

So far, not so good. Paul Konerko spurned the Angels and the White Sox added another slugger, Jim Thome. The Angels still are missing that big bat, and they can’t exactly boast that they can hit the White Sox.

And the free agent the Angels did sign? That would be Jeff Weaver, and the White Sox sure could hit him. The Angels did little to erase the stench of October on Friday, when the White Sox pummeled Weaver for eight runs in an 8-5 victory at Angel Stadium.

“We can match up with them,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “I don’t think there’s any stigma.”

The sellout crowd booed A.J. Pierzynski, the designated villain from last year’s American League championship series. But the louder jeers were directed at Weaver, who turned a 2-0 lead into an 8-2 deficit in a matter of minutes.

“I deserved to be booed,” Weaver said. “I got my butt kicked. What do you expect?”

In the first meeting between the teams since that championship series, Vladimir Guerrero got a big hit -- two of them, in fact.

Guerrero, who had one hit in 20 at-bats and drove in one run in last year’s series, had two hits and drove in four runs on Friday, with a two-run home run and two-run single. Garret Anderson, who had three hits in the championship series, had two Friday.

The rest of the team went 4 for 26. So the Angels, after never getting more than seven hits in the championship series, got eight on Friday.

But leadoff batter Chone Figgins walked three times -- as opposed to once in the championship series -- and scored all three times. So the Angels managed to get the potential tying run to the plate with two out in the seventh inning, but Tim Salmon flied out.

The White Sox used four pitchers, one more than they used in three games here in October. Freddy Garcia gave up three runs over six innings for his 103rd victory, breaking a tie with Wilson Alvarez for the most among Venezuelan pitchers. The Angels’ Kelvim Escobar, who starts tonight, ranks third with 75.

Bobby Jenks, the onetime Angel prospect cast away on waivers, earned the save by striking out Guerrero to end the game.

The Angels also used four pitchers, but they broke into their bullpen in the third inning. Kevin Gregg, J.C. Romero and Esteban Yan held the Sox scoreless over the final 6 2/3 innings.

Weaver gave up eight runs and got seven outs. His record fell to 1-3 and his earned-run average rose to 7.48.

The White Sox scored five runs in the second inning, all with two out, the first on a bases-loaded walk to Brian Anderson.

Anderson, Chicago’s No. 9 hitter and rookie center fielder, is batting .155. So Weaver needed less than a second to identify the source of his downfall.

“Very simple,” Weaver said. “Walk the No. 9 hitter with two outs. It changed the whole complexion of the inning. It brought the leadoff hitter back up.”

That hitter, Scott Podsednik, singled home two runs. Tadahito Iguchi doubled home two more. In the third inning, the Sox poured on three more, two on a home run by Jermaine Dye.

Weaver pitched 224 innings for the Dodgers last season and gave up 35 home runs, the most of any major league pitcher not named Eric Milton. In 27 innings for the Angels, Weaver has given up five home runs, so his ratio is up; one homer per 5.4 innings this season, one per 6.4 innings last season.