Morales powers Angels to 11-7 win over Oakland

[August 29, 2009]  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Kendry Morales went 5 for 5 with two homers and six RBIs, and the Los Angeles Angels used a seven-run surge in the seventh inning to rally past the Oakland Athletics 11-7 on Friday night.

The Angels, who increased their AL West lead to five games over Texas, also had a big night off the field. Looking to bolster an inconsistent rotation, they acquired two-time All-Star Scott Kazmir from Tampa Bay for two minor leaguers and a player to be named.

Morales, who tied a career high for RBIs, put Los Angeles ahead with a three-run shot in the seventh. He also opened the scoring in the second with a solo homer against Brett Tomko.

Morales doubled in each of his next two at-bats and added his 29th home run against Brad Ziegler (1-4) to break Chili Davis' 1996 club record for the most homers in a season by a switch-hitter.

For good measure, Morales added an RBI single in the eighth against Santiago Casilla. The Angels' first baseman leads the AL with 42 RBIs since the All-Star break and has a team-high 91 in his first full big league campaign.

The four extra-base hits by Morales also tied a club mark. His sixth-inning double off Craig Breslow drove in a run, hitting the top of the 18-foot wall in right-center and bouncing back onto the field. The umpiring crew had to look at a replay to uphold the decision by first base ump Greg Gibson, after Angels manager Mike Scioscia contended it was a homer.

All seven runs in the seventh were unearned, the result of first baseman Daric Barton's fielding error on a broken-bat grounder by Bobby Abreu.

Jose Arredondo (2-3) pitched two innings of one-hit relief for the victory after inheriting a 6-1 deficit. It was the ninth time this season that the Angels won after trailing by four or more runs. In Thursday's series opener, they were held to three hits in a 2-0 loss to Trevor Cahill.

Brian Fuentes got two outs for his major league-leading 37th save in 42 attempts after Kevin Jepsen gave up an RBI single to Kurt Suzuki.

Angels rookie Trevor Bell lasted just 2 2-3 innings in his fourth big league start, giving up five runs and seven hits, including Scott Hairston's sixth homer of the season during Oakland's five-run third. The right-hander has a 10.80 ERA since Scioscia inserted him into the rotation on Aug. 12.

Bell isn't expected to make another start any time soon, now that the Angels landed Kazmir.

Tomko was handed a 6-1 lead. The 36-year-old right-hander allowed two runs and four hits over 5 2-3 innings and struck out five in his third start with Oakland.

The A's loaded the bases with one out in the third and Suzuki delivered a two-run single that put them ahead 2-1. Jack Cust followed with a sacrifice fly and Hairston drove Bell's next pitch to center, capping the rally.

NOTES: Morales' 29 homers are the most by an Angels first baseman since 2000, when Mo Vaughn tied Wally Joyner's 1987 club record for that position with 34. ... Former Angels 2B Adam Kennedy, the first Oakland player to start at least 40 games at two different infield positions in the same season since Mike Bordick in 1992, committed two errors at 3B. The 2002 ALCS MVP also singled home a run in the fourth against Darren Oliver. ... Vladimir Guerrero was 1 for 3 against Tomko and is 3 for 19 lifetime against him. ... Jon Wilhite, the only survivor in the car Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was riding in when he and two other friends died in the early morning hours of April 9, will attend Saturday night's game along with members of his family to take part in a first-pitch ceremony. Wilhite threw a ceremonial first pitch at the Angels-A's game on July 18 at Oakland. ... Torii Hunter extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the eighth.

[Associated Press]

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