ANGELS SWEEP UP A'S; OFFENSE RALLIES BEHIND SPARKS' EFFORT : ANGELS 4, OAKLAND 3.

Byline: Frank C. Girardot Staff Writer

The Angels didn't need a late-inning rally to beat the Oakland A's Sunday night. They got all the runs they needed in the first and cruised to a 4-3 win before 31,782 at Edison Field.

The victory capped a three-game sweep of the A's and helped the Angels gain precious ground in the AL West standings as the first-place Texas Rangers were defeated 5-2 by the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

The Rangers will be in Anaheim tonight for the start of a crucial three-game series that could affect the balance of the season. The last time the two teams met, Anaheim took three games of a four-game series at Arlington.

``One thing I keep stressing right now is that we've got to win two out of every three games,'' Angels manager Terry Collins said after Sunday's game. ``If we keep winning like this we'll get back in the hunt.''

Pitcher Steve Sparks (3-5) got the win. He went five-plus innings, giving up in against No. 10 four hits and two runs, both of which were earned. Kenny Rogers took the loss for the A's. He went the distance, giving up 12 hits and four runs while walking one and striking out three.

After winning three games in a row with late-inning rallies, Anaheim nearly found itself on the wrong side of a comeback. Up 4-2 going into the ninth, manager Terry Collins brought in closer Troy Percival.

The first batter Percival faced was Tim Raines, pinch hitting for Ryan Christenson. Raines doubled, then stole third. Olmedo Saenz, pinch hitting for A.J Hinch, drove Raines home with a single to make the score 4-3.

With pinch-runner Jorge Velandia holding at first, Percival got Tony Phillips to fly out. He struck out Miguel Tejada for out number two, then blew two strikes past Ben Greive. With the crowd standing in anticipation and the count even at 2-2, Grieve popped up to Darin Erstad in left to end the game.

``We still held on and that's all that matters,'' Collins said. ``Velocity-wise, that's the best I've seen Percival this year.

``When you think about it, we really hung together after a good first inning.''

It was in the first inning that the Angels took charge and won the game. Leadoff man Darin Erstad started a four-run rally with his triple to the corner in right field. Randy Velarde followed him to the plate and drove Erstad in with a single.

Mo Vaughn, batting in his usual third spot, smacked a single and sent Velarde to third. Velarde came home when Todd Greene snapped an 0-15 slump with a one-base hit of his own. Garret Anderson was the fifth straight Angel to get a hit off Rogers. He singled to bring home a sprinting Vaughn.

Next up was catcher Steve Decker who grounded into a double play. He picked up an RBI when Greene came home. Glaus got the sixth hit of the inning, a single, but was left on base when Reggie Williams struck out.

Anderson got his third hit of the night, a double down the right-field line in the seventh. He reached third on Steve Decker's sacrifice fly, but didn't score.

The A's first run came in the fourth when Matt Stairs tagged a Sparks knuckleball for a 388-foot homer run to right.

Their next run came in the sixth. Sparks loaded the bases, walking three consecutive batters. Collins pulled Sparks and brought in reliever Mark Petkovsek. Ryan Christenson sacrificed John Jaha home for the run and Petkovsek worked his way out of the inning.

``I thought (Petkovsek's performance) was the ballgame,'' Collins said. ``That was it right there.''

Sparks walked six and struck out two. He threw 117 pitches.

Sunday's game was Sparks' seventh career appearance and fifth start against the A's. In his last start against Oakland, Sparks surrendered three runs in the first inning. In that loss he allowed seven hits, all singles.

Petkovsek threw three innings in relief and gave up one hit.

Anderson, batting .375 in the series, had three hits in four at-bats Sunday night. He turned in a similar performance Saturday night and singled home the winning run in the seventh inning of that game. He's gotten hits in seven of the Angels' past eight games.

``When he's swinging the bat good he can hit anybody,'' Collins said. ``Hopefully, he'll stay hot.''

Vaughn and Velarde each had two hits. Vaughn singled in the first and seventh innings off Rogers. Velarde's hits came in the first and fourth innings.

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PHOTO Anaheim's Reggie Williams is forced out at second by Oakland's Tony Phillips in the fourth after a hit by Andy Sheets. The Angels won 4-3.

John Hayes/Associated Press