ANGELS NOTEBOOK: SCIOSCIA: MOLINA'S BACKSTOP WORK IS MVP STUFF.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

CLEVELAND - Catcher Bengie Molina went 1 for 11 in the weekend games against the Indians, including five strikeouts. Yet manager Mike Scioscia called him the MVP of the series, in which the Angels won two of three.

It had nothing to do with offense, obviously. Molina worked every inning behind the plate, helping the pitchers limit the best-hitting team in the American League to seven runs and 17 hits in the three games.

Starters Ramon Ortiz, Pat Rapp and Jarrod Washburn were particularly good, combining for 23 1/3 innings.

``We had three totally different game plans with three totally different pitchers,'' Scioscia said. ``You look at how he worked that series, it was a big part of the staff's success. Bengie's a little disappointed because the hits aren't falling for him as much as they did last year. But the job he's doing behind the plate is the reason why we're even talking about the playoffs.''

Molina said he's not concerned about offense, focusing on his job behind the plate. But after hitting .281 last season, his .241 average this year has worn on him. Especially when it seems so many potential hits have instead been highlight-reel catches by opposing outfielders.

``I think I've lost count,'' Molina said when asked how many times he's been robbed of a hit this year. ``I don't want to think about it. It's driving me crazy. I'm trying to hit it where they ain't, but it's not working.''

--Curve under control: Closer Troy Percival entered Sunday's game after Washburn yielded Kenny Lofton's leadoff homer in the ninth and finished it off. He allowed a two-out single to Juan Gonzalez but nothing else while earning his 35th save.

Percival has managed to get through recent games despite lacking command of his curveball, but that changed Sunday. He threw only one, but it was a big one. With one out and a 1-1 count on Roberto Alomar, Percival threw an 80-mph curveball on the outside corner that Alomar took for strike two.

That was enough to make Alomar think, and on the next pitch Percival threw a 98-mph fastball down the middle that froze Alomar for the second out.

``We found a mechanical flaw and I worked on it day in, day out,'' Percival said. ``I'm back to having confidence in it again.''

ANGELS vs. BOSTON

Time: 7:05 p.m. at Edison Field.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: Ismael Valdes (8-6, 3.48 ERA) will start for Anaheim against Boston's Frank Castillo (7-7, 4.81). The Angels, who swept the Red Sox in Fenway Park July 31-Aug. 2, trail the Red Sox in the wild-card race by two games. The four-game series this week marks the Red Sox's only visit to Anaheim this season.

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ANGELS vs. BOSTON (see text)