ANGELS GO DEEP TO BEAT ORIOLES GUERRERO HOMERS; ESCOBAR SOLID ANGELS 3, BALTIMORE 2.Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer ANAHEIM - It took a 453-foot blast by Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic), and known in his native Dominican Republic as Miquéas (Spanish for Micah), is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. , but the Angels finally did it. Guerrero's tape-measure home run in the fifth inning of Saturday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles This article is about the contemporary American major league baseball team. For other uses, see Baltimore Oriole (disambiguation). The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. not only gave the Angels a 3-2 victory, but it allowed them to beat Orioles pitcher Sydney Ponson for the first time in his career in front of a sellout crowd of 43,586 at Angel Stadium. Ponson took a career record of 7-0 vs. the Angels into Saturday's game, including a shutout last Sunday in Baltimore, when he was matched up with Angels starter Kelvim Escobar Kelvim Jose Escobar Bolivar [ess-coe-BAR] (born April 11, 1976 in La Guaira, Venezuela) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004-present). He bats and throws right handed. . Ponson and Escobar hooked up again Saturday, and this time Escobar and the Angels wound up on top, thanks to Guerrero and his two-run homer that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Escobar pitched his best game as an Angel, going a season-high seven innings and allowing two runs and five hits. The two runs might have been enough for the Orioles with the way Ponson has pitched against the Angels, but Angels manager Mike Scioscia ``He's been tough on us over the years,'' Scioscia said. ``It seems like against us he's always been able to stay away from good hitter's counts. We have to show patience to get into hitter's counts and take advantage of it.'' Ponson pitched a complete game and walked only two, one of which was intentional. But the Angels managed nine hits against him, including Guerrero's ninth home run of the season. The Angels also got another incredible throw from left fielder Jose Guillen, who threw out a runner at the plate for the second night in a row. In the seventh inning, B.J. Surhoff tried to score from second on a single by Larry Bigbie Larry Robert Bigbie (b. November 4, 1977, in Hobart, Indiana) is a Major League Baseball left fielder who is currently a minor-league player for the Richmond Braves the triple A affiliate for the Atlanta Braves organization. He attended Ball State University. , but Guillen's throw to catcher Jose Molina was perfect and Surhoff was out to end the inning. ``He's just got a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. arm,'' Scioscia said. ``You're not going to get a better throw than that.'' Asked which play was bigger, Guillen's throw or Guerrero's homer, Escobar said: ``Wow. That's 50-50. Those two plays, that's why we won the game.'' Escobar had a little something to do with it too. He struck out six, walked two and allowed only one Orioles baserunner to reach scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on outside of the solo homers he allowed to Melvin Mora Melvin Mora (born February 2, 1972 in Agua Negra, Yaracuý State, Venezuela), affectionately nicknamed Melmo or Melvy, is a Major League Baseball Third Baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. He bats and throws right-handed. and Javy Lopez in the fourth inning. ``I feel good right now, even giving up two home runs, I know I have my stuff,'' Escobar (3-2) said. ``Right now, mentally and physically I feel good.'' Francisco Rodriguez Francisco Rodriguez may refer to:
The Angels took the lead for good in the fifth inning, trying at first to play little ball, then eventually getting their runs with one mighty swing of the bat. The Angels trailed 2-1 when Adam Kennedy For other people with the same name, see Adam Kennedy (disambiguation). Adam Thomas Kennedy (born January 10, 1976 in Riverside, California) is a Major League Baseball player. He currently plays second base for the St. Louis Cardinals. Kennedy attended J.W. opened the fifth with a double to right field. David Eckstein, despite having two strikes on him, dropped down a sacrifice bunt, moving Kennedy to third. The Orioles brought the infield in for Chone Figgins, but Figgins failed to check his swing on a 1-2 count and was punched out on an appeal to third-base umpire Joe Brinkman. Figgins stared at Brinkman as he walked back to the dugout, but didn't even have time to put his bat back in the bat rack before Guerrero absolutely destroyed Ponson's first pitch, hitting it over both bullpens that sit beyond the left-field fence. The Angels had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning on consecutive singles by Kennedy, Eckstein and Figgins. ``Right there, we didn't miss pitches,'' Scioscia said. ``Ponson pitched a heckuva heck·uv·a adj. Slang Used as an intensive: You've done a heckuva good job. [Alteration of heck of a.] game too. We're fortunate we just pitched a notch better.'' CAPTION(S): box Box: GAME RECAP |
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