Oops, They Did It Again

The Angels didn’t earn any style points Sunday, running into five outs on the basepaths, botching a suicide squeeze, committing two errors and blowing a save in one of their most unsightly performances of the season.

But winning ugly sure beats losing ugly, and all those transgressions in Angel Stadium seemed to melt away after a 7-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Angels’ season-high sixth consecutive win and their 11th victory in 12 games.

Yes, that was a colossal sixth-inning blunder by Juan Rivera, who tried to score from third on a ball that bounced about a foot away from home plate and was such an easy out that Manager Mike Scioscia said “their trainer probably could have tagged him.”

But how about that Howie Kendrick? The rookie second baseman had two doubles and broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth with a run-scoring single to help the Angels remain 1 1/2 games behind Oakland in the American League West.

And, yes, Jose Molina had no business trying to score on Maicer Izturis’ fifth-inning grounder to short with the infielders playing in -- does the running-on-contact play that Scioscia clings to ever work? -- but Molina delivered a clutch eighth-inning double that gave the Angels a much-needed insurance run.

And, sure, Vladimir Guerrero was thrown out trying to steal third with two out in the fourth when he was in scoring position, and Orlando Cabrera couldn’t bunt a low-and-away curve on a seventh-inning squeeze attempt and left Chone Figgins to get tagged out, and relievers J.C. Romero and Scot Shields failed to hold a two-run lead in the seventh.

But Robb Quinlan continued to bash left-handed pitching with a two-run single against Casey Fossum that turned a 3-2 sixth-inning deficit into a 4-3 lead, accounting for two of the six runs batted in produced by the bottom third of the order, and closer Francisco Rodriguez struck out two of three in the ninth for his 22nd save.

“We had as much go wrong as we had go right, but in the end, we got some clutch hitting from the bottom of the order, and when we had to do some things on the mound we did,” Scioscia said. “We managed to get the lead, give it back, get it back and hold it.”

It didn’t hurt that the Devil Rays played even uglier baseball, committing three errors, throwing two wild pitches, issuing four walks and a balk, and having Manager Joe Maddon, the former Angels bench coach, and first baseman Travis Lee ejected for arguing with first base umpire Marty Foster.

With the Angels trailing, 3-0, Quinlan opened the fifth with a grounder to short, but Julio Lugo’s throw pulled Lee off the bag. Foster ruled Quinlan safe, though replays showed Lee tagged Quinlan’s shoulder. Maddon, after bumping Foster several times, was ejected for the second time this season, both against the Angels.

“It must be that Italian blood,” Scioscia said. “Joe’s passionate, no doubt about it.”

After Kendrick doubled to right, Lee continued to argue with Foster and was ejected. Molina’s bloop single scored one run, and Kendrick raced home when the ball bounced past center fielder Rocco Baldelli.

Cabrera doubled to lead off the sixth, Guerrero was intentionally walked, and Rivera walked to load the bases. Garret Anderson struck out, but Quinlan, who is batting .362 against left-handers, lined a single to left.

Cabrera scored before left fielder Carl Crawford made a strong throw to the plate ahead of Guerrero, who knocked the ball out of catcher Dioner Navarro’s glove with a hard slide and was safe, making it 4-3.

Navarro grabbed his left wrist in pain, and as Devil Rays headed for the plate, Rivera tried to sneak home during the confusion. Fossum, who was backing up the play, picked up the ball and tagged Rivera well in front of the plate.

“Juan was blocked out by the umpire,” Scioscia said. “He didn’t see the ball right there.”

Rivera flied out with runners on first and third to end the seventh, but Anderson opened the eighth with a single. Kendrick and Molina followed with big hits, turning a potential debacle into a defeat of the Devil Rays.

“Hey, it’s a win,” said Shields, who suffered a blown save but also earned the victory with a scoreless eighth. “We’ll take it.”