4 HRs fuel Angels to 9-5 win over White Sox

[August 07, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Vladimir Guerrero hit his first home run in more than a month and Bobby Abreu, Jeff Mathis and Erick Aybar also went deep Thursday, sending the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Jayson Nix had a three-run homer for Chicago, which fell two games behind Detroit in the AL Central. The White Sox had opened their current homestand with five victories in six games against the Angels and New York Yankees, the league's two best teams.

Ervin Santana (4-6) settled down after a rocky start to last six innings for the Angels, who avoided their first three-game losing streak since June. It was their offense, however, that carried them to their AL-leading 32nd road victory.

The Angels entered the series as baseball's hottest-hitting team, batting .315 with 50 homers and 256 runs in 34 games. In each of their four games before coming to Chicago, they scored nine-plus runs, the first such streak in franchise history.

Then they ran into the White Sox, who held them to six runs and 11 hits the first two games.

The big bats returned Thursday, when Los Angeles scored five times in the first two innings off John Danks (9-8) and never trailed.

Mathis hit a two-run homer in the second. Guerrero, who had missed 21 games with calf and hamstring injuries before being activated Tuesday, hit Danks' first pitch of the third inning over the left-field fence for his first home run since July 5.

Abreu's homer leading off the fifth made it 7-4, extended his hitting streak to 12 games and gave him 250 career home runs. He joined Willie Mays, Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, Barry Bonds and Craig Biggio as the only players with 250 homers, 2,000 hits, 1,000 runs, 1,000 RBIs, 1,000 walks and 300 stolen bases.

Aybar, who also had two bunt singles, connected off Randy Williams in the ninth.

Santana allowed four runs on five hits and five walks. After giving up Nix's shot in the second, he walked home a third-inning run and manager Mike Scioscia had a reliever warming up. But Santana struck out Nix on a 3-2 pitch and retired Chris Getz on a grounder to get out of the jam. He then gave up only one hit in his final three innings.

Dewayne Wise homered off Kevin Jepsen in the ninth, the first RBI by a Chicago pinch-hitter all season.

Danks, who had been 4-1 with a 3.08 ERA in his previous six starts, gave up seven runs on nine hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings.

His fielders contributed to his woes. Third baseman Gordon Beckham's throwing error let in a first-inning run. In the second, Chone Figgins scored on Aybar's shallow fly because right fielder Jermaine Dye thought there were three outs after making the catch.

NOTES: If SS Alexei Ramirez returns Friday after missing seven games with a sprained ankle, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said the second-year player would bat low in the order because Beckham has excelled as the No. 2 hitter. ... The four homers gave the Angels 74 in their last 48 games after hitting only 44 in their first 58 contests. Not coincidentally, they are 35-13 during their hot streak after a 29-29 start.

[Associated Press]

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