Zito Holds Down the Angels

It’s the big overhand curve -- a.k.a. the hook, the hammer -- that Oakland left-hander Barry Zito built his reputation on, a pitch so devastating it draws not only the ire of opposing hitters but the awe of opposing pitchers.

“I really don’t like watching Zito pitch,” former Angel left-hander Jarrod Washburn said last season, “because when I see him I think, [shoot], I wish I had that curveball.”

If Washburn saw Zito Monday night, he might have wished he had Zito’s changeup too. Showing he is far more than a one-pitch wonder, Zito featured his changeup as part of an expanded repertoire he used to blank the Angels on five hits over 7 2/3 innings to lead the A’s to a 1-0 victory at Angel Stadium.

The Angels threatened twice in the final two innings, sending A’s outfielders to the wall for a pair of long drives, but both wilted in the dead of night as the Angels extended their losing streak to four and wasted a fine effort by pitcher Hector Carrasco (six innings, one run, three hits).

Zito (2-2) did not abandon his curve, but it was his changeup, a pitch that approached the plate as if its flaps were down, floating in at about 70 mph, that kept the Angels off-balance for most of the evening. Most were pounded into the ground or popped up.

“He has a great changeup, and he still gets enough on his fastball to make you respect it,” Angel designated hitter Tim Salmon said. “Plus, he has the curve. You’re just not going to put together a string of hits against a guy like that. Hopefully, you get a knockout punch.”

The Angels thought they delivered two such blows, first in the eighth inning, when, with two on and one out, Garret Anderson drove Zito’s first pitch to deep right.

Oakland’s Jay Payton went to the short wall, to the exact spot where, 3 1/2 years ago, San Francisco’s Reggie Sanders reached up for Scott Spiezio’s dramatic three-run home run in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series.

This time, Payton made the catch, robbing Anderson of a three-run homer. Kiko Calero came on to retire Vladimir Guerrero on a fly to left. Justin Duchscherer threw a scoreless ninth, but it was center fielder Mark Kotsay, who slammed into the wall as he caught Salmon’s drive to open the inning, who deserved the save.

Kotsay robbed Salmon of a double, and his play loomed large when Edgardo Alfonzo followed with a single, a hit that probably would have scored a pinch-runner from second.

“We squared up some balls, but this was some of the heaviest air we’ve seen here,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “On any other night, Garret’s ball would have been 10 rows back. You had to hit one with a howitzer to get it out tonight.”

Anderson wasn’t about to use atmospheric conditions as an excuse.

“It was an F-9 to me,” Anderson said of the long fly-ball out. “It stayed in the park. It doesn’t matter how good you hit it, it’s not a home run.”

Those two drives were indicative of an Angel offense that has come up short this past week -- the Angels are hitting .189 (41 for 217) in the past seven games. But there was at least some encouraging news on the pitching front.

Carrasco was tagged for eight earned runs and 11 hits in eight innings of his first two starts in place of the injured Bartolo Colon, and his potential rotation replacement seemed but a phone call away.

Triple-A right-hander Jered Weaver gave up one earned run and four hits, struck out 12 and walked one in six innings for Salt Lake Sunday, and he could have easily been slotted into Carrasco’s rotation spot for Saturday’s game in Toronto.

But that won’t be necessary. Carrasco was dominant Monday, his fastball hitting 94 mph and his sinker and changeup keeping the A’s hitters guessing. Carrasco retired the first 10 batters before Nick Swisher’s one-out double in the fourth.

After Eric Chavez flied out, Carrasco walked Frank Thomas, and Bobby Crosby followed with a run-scoring single to left.

“That’s the best we’ve seen him pitch so far,” Scioscia said of Carrasco. “He gave us a chance to win.”