ANGELS' LONG BALL ONLY GOES SO FAR RETURN TO TYPICAL APPROACH BEATS A'S ANGELS 9, OAKLAND 4.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - It was almost as though the Angels wanted to try something new, use a different approach to score some runs.

Garret Anderson's three-run home run in the third inning induced fireworks, excited the sellout crowd and gave the Angels a lead. But after the Oakland A's scored four runs in the sixth inning to go ahead, the Angels' offense went back to doing what it does best.

A single here, a single there, maybe a bunt and a sacrifice fly, and the next thing you know, the Angels had put up a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth Saturday on their way to a 9-4 victory over the A's in front of 43,449 at Edison Field.

It was the Angels' fourth win in a row and put them back over .500 (6-5) for the second time this season, only one game behind the first-place A's (7-4). The winning rally consisted of five singles (including two infield singles), one sacrifice bunt and one sacrifice fly.

The big blow, such as it was, came from Eric Owens, who delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single to right field off Ricardo Rincon that snapped a 4-4 tie.

Angels pitcher Ben Weber (1-0) earned the victory with 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Mickey Callaway.

A's starter John Halama doesn't throw hard but can leave hitters exasperated with his array of off-speed pitches. Halama beat the Angels in his only other start of the season, and he might have done it again if not for his glove Saturday.

Halama had retired the first two Angels hitters in the third inning when Darin Erstad grounded wide of first base. A's first baseman Scott Hatteberg fielded the ball and tossed to Halama covering first, but Halama dropped the ball for an error and kept the inning alive.

Tim Salmon followed with a walk before Anderson unloaded on a 2-1 pitch, hitting it several rows deep into the right-field seats for a 3-0 Angels lead, Anderson's first home run of the season.

Through five innings, Halama allowed only two hits - Anderson's homer and a single by Chone Figgins.

Callaway, whose place in the starting rotation is tenuous at best pending the return of the injured Aaron Sele, pitched well enough to win in his second start of the season. He threw six scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers on April 1 to get the win, and Saturday he held the A's scoreless for five innings. Thanks to Anderson's home run, Callaway and the Angels took a 3-0 lead into the sixth.

But in the sixth, the A's got a rally started on Miguel Tejada's broken- bat infield single. After a walk to Eric Chavez, Jermaine Dye singled to center to drive in Tejada, and Callaway had yielded his first run of the season.

That was all it took for Angels manager Mike Scioscia to go to his bullpen, summoning left-hander Scott Schoeneweis to face the left-handed- hitting Erubiel Durazo.

Durazo singled to right field to score Chavez, and Terrence Long, another left-handed hitter, blooped a double to left to score Dye and tie the game at 3-3.

After an intentional walk to Ramon Hernandez, Scioscia went to Weber out of the bullpen and A's manager Ken Macha called on Ron Gant to pinch hit for Chris Singleton. Gant hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Durazo to give the A's a 4-3 lead.

The lead lasted only as long as it took for the Angels to bat in the bottom of the inning. Salmon led off with a single and went to third on a single by Anderson. Troy Glaus, limping noticeably on his sore left hamstring, managed to leg out an infield hit to drive in Salmon and tie the game at 4-4.

After Scott Spiezio sacrificed the runners to second and third, pinch hitter Shawn Wooten was walked intentionally to load the bases, bringing up Owens, who singled home two.