ANGELS TURN TWO WITH VICTORY BEATING WHITE SOX GIVES THEM SECOND 8-GAME STREAK THIS YEAR ANGELS 8, CHICAGO 4.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

CHICAGO - The wind-chill factor at the start of Friday's game between the Angels and Chicago White Sox was 34 degrees, which seemed to make Chicago-area natives Scott Spiezio, Al Levine and Lou Pote feel right at home.

All three played big roles in leading the Angels to an 8-4 victory in front of 12,736 bundled-up fans at Comiskey Park, the Angels' eighth consecutive victory and their 17th in 19 games.

The Angels have won eight in a row twice this season, the first time in franchise history they've had two winning streaks of at least eight games in the same season. The Angels also became the sixth team in the majors since 1998 to go 17-2 over a 19-game stretch. Seattle and Oakland each did it last season.

Spiezio, a native of Joliet, Ill., had two hits, including a two-run homer in the eighth inning that turned a 5-4 game into 7-4. Pote, from Evergreen Park, and Levine, from Park Ridge, each pitched two hitless innings in relief of starter Scott Schoeneweis (3-4). Levine earned his fourth save.

``Listen, man, Chicago's their kind of town,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, though Levine admitted he could have done without the cold.

``I wanted to throw three pitches and get out of there,'' said Levine, who didn't wear sleeves under his jersey.

The cold also didn't seem to bother Darin Erstad, a native of North Dakota, who had three hits and raised his season average to .299. Troy Glaus homered in the ninth inning for the Angels, his team-leading ninth of the season.

Schoeneweis wasn't quite as effective as the pitchers who followed him, but he managed to get through five innings and keep the White Sox, who rank second in the majors in runs scored, from putting together a big inning.

The White Sox scored two runs in the first inning, but the Angels tied it with two unearned runs off White Sox starter and Kennedy High of Granada Hills alum Jon Garland (4-3) in the third. The White Sox regained the lead on Aaron Rowand's RBI double in the fourth, but the Angels went ahead for good with three runs in the fifth.

``We haven't played perfect baseball,'' Scioscia said. ``But we're not waiting for breaks to turn the game our way. The offense has been good, so a break either way doesn't determine a win or a loss.''

They had ``only'' 11 hits Friday but again got contributions from throughout the lineup. Seven of the nine starters had at least one hit, and six of the nine scored at least one run.

``It just keeps coming and coming,'' Levine said. ``It's awesome.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Scott Schoeneweis gave up four earned runs in five innings, good enough to earn the victory on a cold night at Comiskey Park.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press