A'S GIVE ANGELS A BEATING LOSS PUNCTUATED BY FIGHT BETWEEN LACKEY, KENDALL OAKLAND 10, ANGELS 3.

Byline: BEN VILLA Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Even though the Angels lost their fifth game in a row Tuesday, at least this time they didn't go down without a fight.

Literally.

Eric Chavez and former Long Beach State star Bobby Crosby each hit three-run home runs to lead the Oakland A's past the Angels 10-3 in front of 35,943 at Angel Stadium, but it was a brawl in the top of the sixth inning that left everybody talking.

With the A's leading 3-1 thanks to Chavez's three-run blast in the first inning off Angels starter John Lackey, the A's loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth.

Jason Kendall was up next but after Lackey threw a curveball for a ball to begin the at-bat, the two players starting talking to each other and the conversation got more and more heated before Kendall charged the mound.

Kendall then tackled Lackey, who was waiting for him, and both benches cleared and the brawl ensued.

``Jason has a history of leaning out over the plate trying to get hit with his elbow pad and I told him not to,'' Lackey said. ``He had a problem with that and he came out and we got into it and he has that right. I don't have a problem with that.

``But the guy has been hit over 200 times in his career and there's a reason for that. If there wasn't bad blood between the two teams, there is now.''

Lackey and Kendall were both ejected and that angered Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who said his pitcher should not have been thrown out because he was defending himself.

``I was shocked by Kendall's reaction,'' Scioscia said. ``John told him not to stick his pad out there and he charged the mound, which wasn't warranted. But then the umpires told me that John got ejected, not because of the fight, but because of what he said to Kendall, and that's an absolute joke.

``Why is it a hitter can charge the mound and the pitcher gets ejected for defending himself? John getting thrown out was a joke, an absolute joke. Anytime your starter gets taken out, it influences the game.''

Brendan Donnelly replaced Lackey and he managed to get out of the bases-loaded jam relatively unscathed, allowing an RBI groundout to Adam Melhuse that extended the A's lead to 4-1.

But the Angels offense, which was all but anemic up to that point, seemed to wake up somewhat in their half of the sixth inning.

With one out, Garret Anderson singled and Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run home run off A's starter Brad Halsey to center field to cut the Oakland lead to 4-3.

Tim Salmon followed Guerrero's shot with a single to right field, but the Angels couldn't capitalize on it after Edgardo Alfonzo lined into a double play to end the threat.

The Angels had another chance in the bottom of the eighth inning when Anderson singled with two outs, bringing up Guerrero, who represented the go-ahead run. But A's reliever Justin Duchscherer got him to fly out to deep center field.

In the top of the ninth inning, the A's broke the game open when they scored six runs off Angels relievers J.C. Romero and Chris Bootcheck, highlighted by Crosby's third home run of the year.

In the bottom of the ninth, A's reliever Chad Gaudin hit Robb Quinlan just above the left elbow and Quinlan had to be taken out of the game. Scioscia thought the pitch was retaliation by the A's and he let home-plate umpire Dale Scott know it. Scott didn't waste any time ejecting Scioscia after that.

Quinlan went to have X-rays taken on his elbow after the game.

``I'm very disturbed by that last pitch to Quinlan,'' Scioscia said. ``It was pretty obvious. I don't know why they did it. Maybe they were trying to send a message but I'm dumbfounded by it. But it was obvious.''

Scott, however, had a different opinion on Gaudin's pitch to Quinlan.

``In the ninth inning, there was a difference of opinion,'' Scott said. ``Scioscia even told me, when I put the warnings out in the sixth inning, can they still pitch inside and I said, yes you can. So in the ninth after Quinlan got hit, I told Scioscia they were pitching inside.

``In my opinion, the ball got away from Gaudin. Obviously, Scioscia and I differ in our opinions. He'd been disgruntled since the sixth inning, so it was time for him to go.''

ben.villa(at)presstelegram.com

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CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Angels starting pitcher John Lackey, left, and catcher Jeff Mathis, right, brawl with Oakland catcher Jason Kendall after Kendall rushed the mound during the sixth inning Tuesday.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Box:

ANGELS at DETROIT

- Ben Villa