ANGELS NOTEBOOK: MORENO SUPPORTS HIS GM.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA Staff Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- General manager Bill Stoneman received an indirect vote of confidence Tuesday from owner Arte Moreno.

Moreno was asked twice about Stoneman's job security, and the owner suggested his GM's job is secure basically because he is not a fan of constant personnel turnover.

``If Stoneman was pitching, playing shortstop and batting cleanup, critics could say he's not getting it done,'' Moreno said. ``For me, within reason, we've got to have stability in our organization. Once we get in this revolving door, all the time a new manager, a new general manager, this and that ... It's not one person; it's a team of people.''

While Stoneman has taken shots over the past year -- first for not adding an impact bat in the offseason and then not being able to come up with a midseason trade for offense -- Moreno said blame is pointed in the wrong direction.

``If you point your finger at anybody, you probably have to point it at me because I'm making the call,'' Moreno said. ``I'm the guy who hires all these people. I'm the one who pays them. If it's broken, then it's my fault because I haven't got the right people in position to do it.''

If Moreno is indeed making the call, as he says, then was it his directive to stockpile minor-league talent and not trade it for a proven veteran hitter?

``It's not just me. When I walked in, that was the plan of the organization,'' he said. ``Historically, the organization had traded away a lot of young prospects. If you want any kind of depth, you have to (start with) minor-league pitching.''

Stoneman's contract runs through next season but Moreno doesn't see any reason to renew it now. On the back end of the contract are three more years in which Stoneman would be paid as a consultant. Moreno said those years can be rolled over into a new GM contract.

Night and day: Since it was a night game, it didn't seem surprising that rookie pitcher Joe Saunders was dominant against Kansas City on Tuesday. Saunders allowed one run on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out eight batters to top his previous high of six on Aug. 6 against Texas.

Saunders has a 5-1 record with a 2.68 ERA at night and a 1-2 mark with a 10.66 ERA during the day.

Guerrero hits 30 homers again: Vladimir Guerrero hit his 30th home run of the season and has hit at least 30 in all threeseasons he has played with the Angels. Guerrero has atleast 30 home runs in eight of the past nine seasons, missing the mark in an injury-plagued 2003 season when he hit 25.