APPIER ENDS ANGELS SKID PITCHER SHUTS DOWN OAKLAND ANGELS 4, OAKLAND 1.

Byline: Brice Nixon Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Kevin Appier put an end to two streaks Sunday.

Appier stopped the Angels' losing streak at six games by limiting the Oakland A's to one run on four hits in a 4-1 victory in front of 32,881 at Edison Field.

He did that despite allowing Eric Chavez's American League-leading sixth home run, putting an end to Oakland's streak of 23 consecutive victories when Chavez hits a home run. The A's were 4-0 in such games this season and were 25-4 last year in games in which Chavez homered.

Appier (1-1) threw 108 pitches and struck out five, with Oakland's only run coming on Chavez's solo home run in the fourth inning. Besides that, the A's managed very little until the eighth inning.

``I was able to use all my pitches consistently,'' said Appier, an Antelope Valley High and Antelope Valley College product. ``I had good command of all of them.''

Dennis Cook came in to pitch the eighth. He walked Jeremy Giambi and Frank Menechino, bringing up Chavez as the potential tying run. Chavez hit a drive to the wall in deep center field, where Darin Erstad made the catch.

``The story today was Kevin Appier,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``He really gave us a chance to do some things. He kept them under control for seven innings. Our challenge is to really (manufacture runs) every game. To get a game pitched like Kevin Appier today, on a consistent basis, is going to put us in position to get those win streaks going.''

Leadoff hitter David Eckstein also was a big part of the story. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI double. He also ran out a bunt single.

Garret Anderson led off the second inning with his second home run in as many games, a solo shot to right field, to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. Anderson broke an 0-for-20 streak with a home run Saturday.

In the third inning, Eckstein just missed hitting the Angels' second home run when he pulled the first pitch he saw just foul of the left-field pole. Two pitches later, he lined a two-out single to right field. Darin Erstad fouled off a number of pitches before finally flying out to center field.

Chavez tied the game with his home run in the fourth, but the Angels took back the lead in the bottom of the inning on Scott Spiezio's RBI single. Troy Glaus led off the inning with a walk, but Anderson struck out and Tim Salmon popped out. Bengie Molina hit a single to move Glaus into scoring position. Spiezio then lined an 0-2 pitch to left field, where it dropped just in front of Giambi, allowing Glaus to score from second.

Appier, meanwhile, had limited the A's to only two hits through five innings, including Chavez's home run.

The Angels managed only two hits in the bottom half of the fifth, but they produced two runs. Jeff DaVanon led off with a double just inside the first-base line for his first hit of the season. Eckstein followed with an RBI double off the wall in left field for a 3-1 Angels lead. Eckstein went to third when Erstad grounded out to first. Glaus hit weakly back to Oakland pitcher Barry Zito, who threw to first base, allowing Eckstein to score.

In the top of the sixth, Anderson made a nice defensive play when he raced over and barely caught Scott Hatteberg's drive to left field.

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The Angels' Kevin Appier allowed one run on four hits and struck out five Sunday.

Chris Pizzello/Associated Press