Kennedy Comes Through for Angels in 5-4 Victory

They are practically obsolete, a pair of old Angels who expect to be phased out next season, replaced by younger, sleeker and more cost-efficient models.

But Tuesday night, Adam Kennedy, who seems to be keeping the second base spot warm for hard-hitting Howie Kendrick, and Brendan Donnelly, whose 2007 price tag probably will exceed what the Angels are willing to pay for a middle reliever, hardly looked as if they belonged on the scrap heap.

Kennedy slapped a tiebreaking, pinch-hit single to left field in the eighth inning, and Donnelly rescued wobbly starter Jered Weaver from a disastrous sixth, as the Angels extended their win streak to four with a 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Jacobs Field.

Vladimir Guerrero, who hit his 25th home run in the second, sparked the eighth-inning rally with a leadoff single, and Garret Anderson, who homered in the fourth, walked with one out.

Both stole bases on Tim Salmon’s strikeout, and Kennedy, batting for Robb Quinlan, served a Rafael Betancourt fastball to left for a 5-4 lead, improving his average with runners in scoring position to .342. Scot Shields threw a scoreless eighth and Francisco Rodriguez a scoreless ninth for his 28th save.

“A.K. is a gamer -- you don’t want to go down the stretch of a playoff race without a guy like him,” Donnelly said. “He was sitting on the bench all night, his number is called, and he got it done.”

Kennedy’s number could be up this winter. He’s a free agent, Kendrick is clearly ready for the big leagues, and most expect Kennedy to be discarded like Troy Glaus and Bengie Molina. Kennedy has already been reduced to a platoon role and hasn’t started three of the last four games.

“The reality of it is staring me in the face, especially when you don’t play for a few days -- it sinks in a little more,” Kennedy said. “I just fight through it and keep going.”

Donnelly has been fighting injuries, going to a chiropractor several times a week to get his neck and upper back aligned. Since giving up 11 earned runs in four innings of five appearances from July 1-21, the veteran right-hander has given up one earned run in 9 1/3 innings of seven games.

“I’m feeling better health-wise, and it’s a matter of making pitches,” Donnelly said. “It’s nice to be able to contribute and help keep everyone in the bullpen fresh.”

Weaver blanked the Indians on two hits through five innings, but the rookie right-hander, in his third attempt for his eighth win, fell apart in the sixth, losing a 4-0 lead under a hail of Cleveland rockets.

Grady Sizemore lined a one-out solo homer to right. Jason Michaels lined a shot off the left-field wall. Travis Hafner lined to right for the second out, but after Victor Martinez walked, Shin-Soo Choo doubled to left for a run, and Hector Luna lined a two-run single to right for a 4-4 tie.

“You sit back and wonder, ‘What happened?’ ” said Weaver, who added that fatigue wasn’t an issue. “It happened so quick. I had a four-run lead, maybe I got too comfortable. Maybe I was thinking ahead too much.”

Donnelly replaced Weaver, got Ryan Garko to line to left and retired the side in order in the seventh to gain the victory.

Juan Rivera had another productive game, singling and scoring on Salmon’s second-inning single and adding a run-scoring single in the fifth. He is batting .347 (61 for 176) with 14 homers and 46 runs batted in over his last 47 games.

With every productive week, Rivera continues to shed the label of a reserve player, which stuck to him like duct tape in his first four big league seasons. Though he sat out three weeks in April and May because of a rib cage injury, Rivera is on pace for a career-high 500 plate appearances.

“We had no doubt he could be an everyday player,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We were counting on him heavily out of spring training, and unfortunately, he got hurt. But now, it’s a combination of him maturing, understanding what pitchers are trying to do with him, and he’s getting more of an opportunity. He’s definitely coming into his own.”