Angels’ Joe Saunders’ zero-sum game beats A’s, 4-0
Dallas Braden was no match for the perfect storm.
Joe Saunders pitched his first shutout in more than a year and a new-look offense packed some clout Friday night at Angel Stadium during the Angels’ 4-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Hideki Matsui, dropped to No. 6 in the batting order as part of Manager Mike Scioscia’s revamped lineup, crushed a three-run homer off Braden, the A’s starter who was plenty flawed one start following his perfect game against Tampa Bay.
Even more satisfying for the Angels was the performance of Saunders, who had slogged through most of his first seven starts and came into the game tied for the American League lead with five losses.
The left-hander allowed a career-low four hits and two walks on the way to his 50th career victory, giving the Angels the only rotation in the major leagues in which all five starters have notched at least that many victories.
“I don’t know who was wearing Joe’s uniform earlier in the year,” Scioscia said, “but that’s what we’re used to. He pitched a terrific game.”
Saunders (2-5) exchanged a hearty high-five with catcher Mike Napoli after striking out Jake Fox in the ninth to conclude his second career shutout and first since May 9, 2009, against Kansas City. He then took a shaving cream pie to the face from teammate Jered Weaver while conducting an on-field interview.
“It was a lot of fun out there,” said Saunders, who had six strikeouts and threw 109 pitches in a game that lasted 2 hours 5 minutes.
It was also a breakthrough for Matsui, who had driven in only two runs this month and came into the game batting .222 this season with runners in scoring position. He stepped to the plate in the sixth inning with runners on first and second after Kendry Morales had given the Angels a 1-0 lead with a two-out run-scoring single to left field.
Matsui took a ball and then blasted the second pitch he saw from Braden over the right-field for his fifth homer and first extra-base hit since April 22.
“The slider came up in the zone and I was able to react to it,” Matsui said through an interpreter.
In a move designed to produce more RBI opportunities for Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter, Scioscia shifted Howie Kendrick, who had spent most of the season batting seventh, into the No. 2 hole. He then bumped Abreu, Hunter, Morales and Matsui each down one spot into the Nos. 3-6 holes.
The new lineup looked pretty much like the old one in the early going against Braden (4-3), who tossed his second consecutive complete game.
The left-hander retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced, with Abreu’s two-out double to left-center in the first inning erasing any chance of Braden repeating his feat from Sunday.
Saunders was even more brilliant. Oakland put the leadoff man on base three times but could not advance a runner to third base.
“I had command tonight, that was the big thing,” said Saunders, who also credited a higher-intensity between-starts regimen. “It was throwing strike one, keeping the walks down to a minimum and making them hit my pitch.
“I think I’ve been getting into too many hitters’ counts and having to make that perfect pitch. When you get ahead of hitters you can put them on the defensive, and I did that.”
Saunders’ command was somewhat surprising considering the way he threw in pregame warm-ups.
“I think I threw like one strike in the bullpen,” he said.
Of course, he noted he also had a terrible bullpen session prior to his other shutout.
“Maybe I’ll try not to throw strikes anymore in the bullpen,” he said.
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