Lackey Adds Chapter to Shutout Story

In a quiet clubhouse, on the final day of the All-Star break, John Lackey stood before his locker and threw the Angels’ season upon his shoulders and those of the other starting pitchers.

“We’re going to have to pitch well to win,” he said. “A lot of it is definitely going to be on us.”

Was he speaking out of a sense of responsibility, or out of a sense that the strength of this team is pitching, not hitting?

“Both,” he said.

Lackey led by example on Friday, pitching his second consecutive shutout and striking out 10 in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Angel Stadium. He scattered five hits, all singles, three of which didn’t leave the infield.

Vladimir Guerrero broke a scoreless tie with a home run in the sixth inning, Juan Rivera drove in two runs, and the Angels won for the ninth time in 10 games. If they win today, they’ll climb back to .500 for the first time since April 29.

Lackey is the hottest pitcher in the major leagues. He struck out 10 for the third consecutive start and extended his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 26 2/3 , within 9 1/3 of the club record.

In his last two starts, he has faced 59 batters, five above the minimum. He is the first Angels pitcher with consecutive shutouts since Mark Langston in 1992, the first with three consecutive double-digit strikeout games since Langston in 1990.

“It’s fun to watch him put it together,” said second baseman Adam Kennedy, who drove in a run with the second of his two hits. “There’s a handful of pitchers like that in the league.”

Among that handful, along with Lackey, Kennedy cited Jose Contreras, Curt Schilling, Bartolo Colon “when he’s healthy,” Randy Johnson “in his heyday” and Mike Mussina.

“That’s pretty elite company,” Kennedy said.

The Angels turned four double plays behind Lackey, who finished with 107 pitches on an 89-degree evening. His earned-run average of 2.69 ranks second in the American League. No major league starter holds opponents to a lower batting average than Lackey’s .194.

“I like my chances when I go out there,” Lackey said.

The Angels have four shutouts in their last eight games, three started and two completed by Lackey. The starters have posted a 1.32 ERA this month.

“It’s fun to know you have a bulldog on the mound,” Kennedy said. “It rubs off on the rest of the staff.”

Lackey likes the Angels’ chances in the AL West now. He’d like them better with another hitter.

“I’d be OK with that,” he said.

So would Angels owner Arte Moreno. He said he speaks with General Manager Bill Stoneman daily, sometimes twice daily, about potential trades for a big bat. However, Moreno denied he has ordered Stoneman to get a hitter.

“To go to Stoneman and say, ‘We’ve got to win now,’ I don’t do that,” Moreno said. “I’m not going to say, ‘Bring this guy in, and I don’t care what you do to butcher our team.’

“That’s not good business sense.”

Neither, of course, is selling a product at something less than top quality to fans who bought season tickets in record numbers, in anticipation of a third consecutive division championship. The top product he can sell, he said, is a team with a fortified offensive attack.

“I always want to win,” Moreno said. “I’m not going to tell you there’s pressure on anyone. But we’re in the entertainment business. We have to sell baseball tickets.

“If people are making the investment to buy tickets, it’s my job to deliver the best product possible.”