Angels beat Orioles on bases-loaded walk

[August 05, 2008]  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Chone Figgins drew a bases-loaded walk from All-Star closer George Sherrill with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels regrouped to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 Monday night after Francisco Rodriguez blew a four-run lead.

Kevin Millar led off the Orioles' ninth with a leadoff single against Scot Shields, who retired the next two batters. But pinch-hitter Alex Cintron kept the rally going with a single, bringing Rodriguez into the game.

The major league saves leader came in to face switch-hitter Brian Roberts, whose grounder toward the hole was booted for an error by two-time Gold Glove first baseman Mark Teixeira -- playing his first home game for the Angels after a trade from Atlanta.

Nick Markakis followed with a two-run single and Melvin Mora tied it with a two-run double.

Sherrill (3-5), working his second inning of relief, gave up a leadoff double to Torii Hunter, who advanced on a groundout before Howie Kendrick was intentionally walked. Juan Rivera popped out, but Sherrill walked Jeff Mathis and went to 3-2 on Figgins before throwing his next pitch above the letters.

Rodriguez (1-2) was credited with the victory despite his fourth blown save in 49 chances.

Joe Saunders, trying to tie for the major league lead with 15 wins, left after six innings with a 5-1 lead. The All-Star left-hander allowed a run and six hits.

Baltimore's only run off him came without the benefit of a hit, after Saunders hit Luke Scott with a pitch and walked two batters. Scott came home on a groundout by Markakis.

The Angels have won 15 of 19 and are off to the best start in franchise history with a major league-leading 70-42 record -- two games better than the 1989 club. Their starting pitchers have 56 wins, also the most in the majors.

Dennis Sarfate gave up five runs, six hits and three walks over three-plus innings in his second big league start after giving up three earned runs and five hits last Wednesday in a 13-3 loss at Yankee Stadium.

The right-hander, acquired from Houston in the Miguel Tejada trade, was inserted into the rotation after Brian Burress was demoted to the bullpen and subsequently optioned to Triple-A Norfolk with a 7-7 record and 5.64 ERA.

Teixeira robbed Aubrey Huff of a potential extra-base hit with a lunging grab of his first-inning grounder toward the line, then opened the scoring in the bottom half with a broken-bat RBI single. Teixeira was 2-for-4 at the plate after going 4-for-18 on the road trip and hitting a grand slam during Sunday's 14-9 loss at Yankee Stadium.

His second time up, Teixeira hit a line drive so hard off the 18-foot wall in right-center that he had to settle for a single. Had it gone four feet to the right, it would have been a home run. Two pitches later, Vladimir Guerrero cleared the center-field fence with his 19th homer, giving the Angels a 3-0 lead.

Sarfate hit Mathis with a pitch for the second consecutive time to open the fourth, leading to a pair of runs that extended the margin to 5-0. Randor Bierd plunked Hunter on the left wrist to force in a run, and Teixeira scored on an infield single by Garret Anderson that extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

Notes: Teixeira was assigned a place of honor in the Angels' clubhouse by clubhouse manager Ken Higdon -- Tim Salmon's old locker. Salmon, who retired after the 2006 season, is the franchise leader in home runs with 299. ... Orioles RHP Daniel Cabrera has yet to hear from the commissioner's office regarding the appeal of his six-game suspension for throwing at Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez last week. Cabrera has a chance to get the AL triple crown for wildness -- he entered Monday leading the league in wild pitches (12), hit batsmen (15) and walks (68). ... Hunter rejoined the team after his grandmother's funeral in Arkansas and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. ... Orioles CF Adam Jones underwent a CT scan on his left foot, the results of which were not available before the game. Jones, who fouled a ball off his foot Saturday night against Seattle, is 2-for-31 lifetime against Angels pitching. ... The Angels optioned RHP Darren O'Day to Triple-A Salt Lake and purchased the contract of RHP Shane Loux from their top farm club. ... Huff beat out a single to deep shortstop in the sixth, stretching his hitting streak to 13 games.

[Associated Press]

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