SPIEZIO PLAYS ROLE OF SPOILER THREE-RUN BLAST IN 9TH INNING RUINS OAKLAND'S CHANCE TO GAIN ANGELS 6, OAKLAND 5.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Three-year old Tyler Spiezio ran up to his dad, Angels first baseman Scott Spiezio, in the clubhouse after Tuesday's game against the Oakland A's.

It appeared he wanted to give his dad a high-five for hitting a game-winning, three-run home run in the ninth inning of the Angels' improbable 6-5 victory in front of 36,446 at Edison Field.

But no, Tyler simply wanted to show his dad the cupcake someone in the clubhouse had given him.

Though Tyler might not have thought much of the homer, the A's surely did. The home run ended the winning streak at seven games and prevented them from adding to their lead in the American League West. Instead of going 5 1/2 games up on Seattle, they remain 4 1/2 up and play the Mariners this weekend.

It was the first walk-off home run by an Angel this season, and they were the last team in the majors to get one.

But how much it does to improve Spiezio's stock going into the offseason is another question. The Angels seem to be leaning toward letting Spiezio test free agency, though they certainly would welcome him back at a price less than the $4.25 million he's making this season.

Spiezio also would like to hold onto his starting job, but the Angels might look to go for a bigger bat at first base for next season. Spiezio, who is hitting .265 with 16 homers and 77 RBI this year, would like to come back next season but realizes it's not up to him.

``I don't know,'' Spiezio said when asked whether he would come back at a reduced salary next year. ``There are possibilities in that, I imagine. But other offers could be intriguing. I can't sit here and tell you until I see stuff in front of me.''

The Angels appeared headed for yet another loss when they entered the ninth inning trailing 5-3. A's reliever Jim Mecir retired Chone Figgins for the first out of the inning before Garret Anderson (Kennedy High of Granada Hills) singled. Tim Salmon followed with a walk, bringing up Spiezio.

Spiezio swung on the first pitch and connected, hitting the ball deep into the seats in right-center field.

``It's been a tough second half, with the injuries and the way we've played,'' Spiezio said. ``A little spark was a good feeling. It kind of reminded us of last year. We know we're still a good team.''

The A's took the lead at 5-3 by scoring twice in the eighth inning off Angels reliever Brendan Donnelly to snap a 3-3 tie. Erubiel Durazo and Eric Chavez each had an RBI single with two outs, and the A's appeared on their way to their 92nd victory of the season.

Though they managed to win anyway, the Angels missed numerous scoring opportunities that might have cost them if not for Spiezio.

The Angels already had rallied from a 3-2 deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning but missed a chance to go ahead. With David Eckstein on second and Figgins on first with one out, Anderson hit one into the right-field corner. Eckstein scored easily and it appeared the speedy Figgins would score, too, but the ball bounced into the seats and Figgins had to stay at third.

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com