KENNEDY FUELS ANGELS' DEFENSIVE REVIVAL SECOND BASEMAN'S VITAL PLAY HELPS SAVE L.A. WIN VS. ATHLETICS ANGELS 4, OAKLAND 3.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA Staff Writer

OAKLAND - Adam Kennedy's defensive gem at second base Sunday against the Oakland Athletics was not afforded the spotlight a walkoff home run would receive, but it felt just as good.

Kennedy made a diving stop and started a double play with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to preserve the Angels' lead and help the team to a 4-3 victory.

The Angels completed their 10-game road trip an even 5-5 but finished strong by taking the past two series.

The improved defense is the main reason the Angels have rebounded after winning just one of four games at Baltimore on Easter weekend.

The Angels did have some defensive hiccups at Oakland - namely two Jeff Mathis dropped foul popups in one inning Friday 1/3 but Kennedy's play made that a distant memory.

After Milton Bradley received a bases-loaded, one-out walk to push across the A's first run off starter Kelvim Escobar, the switch-hitting Adam Melhuse came to the plate batting left-handed. The Angels' 3-1 lead appeared in jeopardy.

Kennedy started Melhuse's at-bat toward the hole between him and first baseman Robb Quinlan, but decided to cheat toward the bag.

Melhuse hit a roller that appeared destined for center field before Kennedy dived to glove the ball. He made an underhand flip from his knees to shortstop Orlando Cabrera for the force-out at second, and Cabrera hopped over a sliding Bradley to throw to Quinlan and complete the double play.

Both managers - the Angels' Mike Scioscia and the Athletics' Ken Macha - called it the play of the game.

After he was asked about Kennedy's effort, Cabrera stood with his head down in front of his locker slowly putting on his wristwatch.

"That's my answer," he said finally. "Speechless."

The Angels entered Sunday with an American League worst 16 errors, but finally feel like their defensive funk is subsiding.

"We're aggressive, man. We're going to try and make every play," Cabrera said. "We're going to make errors. We understand that's part of the game. I don't think anybody here is going to let a couple of errors keep us down.

Kennedy, who had two hits to raise his batting average to .373, always has taken as much pride in his glove as his bat. A three-home-run game in the 2002 American League Championship Series is his Angels claim to fame, but his defense is his strength.

"We played good defense pretty much the whole series here and the last game in Minnesota," Kennedy said. "I think things will turn around on that side of it. It's hard to say one (play) will turn it around, but definitely things are coming around and we have that going."

The offense also did its part in both Minnesota and Oakland. The Angels had another double-digit hitting performance Sunday with 12, including a home run from Vladimir Guerrero into the second deck at McAfee Coliseum. Guerrero had three RBIs.

Escobar (3-1) went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) The Angels' Adam Kennedy, right, flips the ball to Orlando Cabrera to start a double play on a ball hit by Adam Melhuse of the Oakland Athletics in the fourth inning at McAfee Coliseum.

(2) Vladimir Guerrero watches his fifth-inning home run sail into the second deck.

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images