Angels victory is a bit costly

BALTIMORE -- It can’t be good when you sprain your ankle and you’re not even listed as day to day.

Gary Matthews Jr. was more week to week Tuesday night after suffering a second-degree sprain of his right ankle while sliding into second base, an injury that put a damper on the Angels’ 10-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards and cast some doubt over the center fielder’s postseason availability.

“I thought I broke it,” said Matthews, whose ankle rolled after his spike got stuck in the mud on Howie Kendrick’s groundout to end a five-run third inning. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to play in the playoffs. But it’s not broken. It’s a matter of getting the swelling down and getting the strength up.”

X-rays on the ankle were negative, but Matthews, who is batting .257 with 18 home runs, 26 doubles and 72 runs batted in and has played superb defense, was expected to be sidelined for more than a week, the latest twist in what has been a season-long saga for the Angels:

As the Revolving Door Turns.

Tuesday night, Vladimir Guerrero returned after sitting out four games because of an inflamed right triceps and hit a pair of two-run home runs, his fourth multi-homer game of the season and 33rd of his career. By the end of the game, Matthews was on crutches, his ankle in a protective brace.

When third baseman Chone Figgins came off the disabled list April 30, his replacement, Maicer Izturis, went on the DL within days. Kendrick and his capable second-base backup, Erick Aybar, alternated DL stints throughout the season.

Eleven regulars have been on the DL this year, several for long periods, forcing Mike Scioscia to spackle-and-paint his lineup card on almost a nightly basis, and either the Angels manager is a modern-day Michelangelo or he has had a surplus of quality materials to work with.

The Angels are 9 1/2 games ahead of Seattle in the American League West with 18 games to play, and their magic number to clinch their third division title in four years is 10.

“Losing Gary is definitely tough from a pitcher’s standpoint because his defense has saved us a bunch of runs,” reliever Scot Shields said. “He’s also been one of our better offensive players, so it’s a double whammy.”

Reggie Willits, who broke out of a four-for-35 slump with three singles, two runs and an RBI, will probably replace Matthews in center field, and Juan Rivera, Nathan Haynes and Terry Evans will probably share right field until Guerrero can play defense.

Guerrero’s bat made a difference Tuesday. Starting at designated hitter, he capped the five-run third with a two-run shot to center off starter Victor Santos, giving the Angels a 5-1 lead.

In the seventh, Guerrero ripped a 421-foot homer to left-center off reliever Fernando Cabrera, his 24th of the season, to highlight a three-run rally that gave the Angels a 9-4 lead.

“My elbow is still bothering me a little,” Guerrero said through an interpreter, “but it’s nothing like last Thursday, when I couldn’t do anything.”

Figgins had RBI doubles in the third and fourth innings and a bunt single in the eighth. Kendrick had two doubles, scored a run and drove in a run. Casey Kotchman had a double, a single and scored a run.

That helped Joe Saunders improve to 8-3 on an off night in which the left-hander gave up four runs and 10 hits, including Kevin Millar’s two-run homer, in five innings but was backed by some solid relief work by Chris Bootcheck and some flashy glove work by shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

With the Angels leading, 6-4, Saunders gave up singles to Millar and Aubrey Huff to open the sixth, and Scioscia summoned Bootcheck, who struck out Ramon Hernandez looking at a 95-mph fastball.

Jay Payton followed with a wicked one-hopper to the left of Cabrera, who snagged it and flipped to Kendrick to start an inning-ending double play.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com