Quinlan Does It in a Pinch

Cheers erupted throughout the Angels’ clubhouse Saturday afternoon when Ray Durham hit a three-run walkoff home run to lift the San Francisco Giants to a come-from-behind victory over the Oakland Athletics.

The Angels, duly inspired, went out and staged a comeback of their own Saturday night, scoring four runs in the seventh inning to tie the score and twice in the 13th to win it when Robb Quinlan hit a pinch-hit, two-out, two-run home run for a 6-4 victory over Arizona in Chase Field.

Adam Kennedy sparked the winning rally with a two-out single against reliever Brandon Medders. Quinlan, the sixth Angel to bat in the ninth spot, slammed a 1-and-2 pitch into the left-field seats, just beyond the outstretched glove of Luis Gonzalez, for the first pinch-hit home run of his career.

Francisco Rodriguez retired the side in order in the bottom of the 13th for his 18th save, capping a superb bullpen effort in which five Angels combined to throw 7 1/3 scoreless innings. That helped pull the Angels within six games of first-place Oakland in the American League West.

“It’s tough sitting around the whole game, then getting down early in the count,” Quinlan said. “I was looking to put something in play, and he hung a curve -- I’m sure that wasn’t where he wanted the pitch. I was lucky to get enough of it to get it out.”

Brendan Donnelly (1-0) retired six consecutive batters in the 11th and 12th innings, Scot Shields gave up one hit and struck out five in two innings, Hector Carrasco had two hitless innings and left-hander J.C. Romero got starter Bartolo Colon out of a jam, striking out Craig Counsell with runners on second and third to end the sixth.

“It was a big game, not just for the bullpen but for the whole team,” Donnelly said. “Any time you lose an extra-inning game like that, it can send you into a tailspin -- we’ve done that before. When you win a game like this, it can go the opposite way. That’s what we want.”

Colon labored again in his second start since returning from a shoulder injury, giving up four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, Orlando Hudson (two-run home run in the second), Johnny Estrada (run-scoring double in the fourth) and Counsell (solo homer in the fifth) providing the big blows for Arizona.

But an error by first baseman Conor Jackson helped fuel the Angels’ rally in the seventh. Maicer Izturis had singled against starter Claudio Vargas with one out, and Jackson couldn’t handle Kennedy’s chopper down the line, the ball clanking off his shoulder for an error.

Pinch-hitter Juan Rivera was hit in the neck by a Vargas pitch and lay on the ground for several minutes before being escorted off the field, looking over his shoulder and venting some anger toward Vargas before reaching the dugout.

Rivera, who was “a little woozy, but OK,” according to Manager Mike Scioscia, was replaced by Erick Aybar, and Manager Bob Melvin replaced Vargas with right-hander Luis Vizcaino.

With the bases loaded, Chone Figgins, who failed to drive in a runner from third base with one out in the fifth, grounded a two-run single to right field to make it 4-2. Orlando Cabrera, who has reached base in 52 consecutive games, hit a double down the left-field line, Aybar and Figgins scoring to tie the score, 4-4. It was the largest deficit the Angels have overcome this season.

The Angels threatened in the 10th when Vladimir Guerrero, mired in a nine-for-64 (.141) slump, led off with a double and took third on Garret Anderson’s fly to center, but Mike Napoli struck out, and Kendry Morales grounded out to end the inning. Pinch-hitter Tim Salmon hit a two-out triple in the 11th, but Figgins struck out.

When Quinlan stepped to the plate in the 13th, the Angels had only one position player left on the bench, catcher Jose Molina.

“We were going to have an opportunity to see how our pitchers hit if the game went any further,” Scioscia said.