Angels get the breaks in win over Pirates
PITTSBURGH - The Anaheim Angels turned a double play that wasn't made and a double that barely missed being caught into yet another exasperating loss for the can't-win Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chone Figgins' two-run double broke a tie in the ninth and made up for his earlier error, and Garret Anderson hit a two-run homer to lead the Angels past Pittsburgh 4-2 Tuesday night in the Pirates' ninth consecutive loss.
The Pirates dropped their 14th in 15 games despite Craig Wilson's homer and matched their longest losing streak since a nine-game slide from Sept. 9-17, 2000. They are a major league-worst 9-19 at home and are 1-15 with 14 consecutive losses to AL West teams in interleague play.
Left fielder Jason Bay epitomized the mood of the Pirates after striking out four straight times. He sat quietly in front of his locker for about 15 minutes, his ballcap pulled over his face to hide his frustration.
"To tell you the truth, I don't even know how many we've lost," said teammate Bobby Hill, sitting only a few feet from Bay. "Every game's a game, and you have to come back the next day and play hard and not get off the track."
With the score tied at 2 in the ninth, Darin Erstad - just off the disabled list - singled off Salomon Torres (4-2) for his second hit. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, pinch-hitter Jeff DaVanon hit a potential double-play ball to second baseman Abraham Nunez, but Adam Kennedy's hard slide might have prevented shortstop Jack Wilson from making the throw to first.
DaVanon then stole second, putting him into position to score on Figgins' grounder down the third-base line past a diving Hill.
"I was just trying to put the ball in play, and that's all I did," Figgins said, whose two-base error on Craig Wilson's bad-hop grounder in the seventh led to Hill's game-tying single.
Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon thought his infield should have turned the double play on DaVanon's grounder, but Jack Wilson said the ball took a late hop that would've made his throw late regardless.
"When things aren't going your way, that's how you lose ballgames," Torres said. "Things could have gone our way, but when you have a bad streak that's the way things go."
Scot Shields (5-0) pitched two innings for the victory despite allowing the tying run in the seventh. Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Jarrod Washburn retired the final 13 batters he faced while limiting Pittsburgh to three hits and a run over six innings, but was lifted after throwing 92 pitches on a humid night. He bounced back after allowing 13 runs and 17 hits in 8 1-3 innings in consecutive losses to the Red Sox and Brewers.
"I was able to throw my offspeed stuff for strikes," he said. "They had to worry about it instead of worrying just about the fastball."
Pirates starter Oliver Perez allowed two runs and struck out eight over seven innings, but was again hurt by the long ball. He gave up a 1-0 lead in the sixth on Vladimir Guerrero's leadoff double and Anderson's two-run homer, his fourth.
Anderson's homer was the fourth in two games off Perez, who gave up three homers - the only hits off him - in a 9-7 loss to Texas on June 10. Perez has struck out 20 in 13 innings over his last two starts, but didn't win either one.
Notes: The Pirates are 0-7 in interleague play this
season, dropping a pair of three-game series at Texas and Oakland during a 1-8 road trip that ended Sunday. ... The Angels are 3-4 against the NL. ... Washburn is winless in five starts since winning six consecutive starts from April 17-May 15. ... Former Pirates OF Jose Guillen was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a double-play grounder. ... ... Erstad went 2-for-3 with a double in his first game since going on the disabled list May 9 with a strained right hamstring. ... Washburn singled in his first at-bat, and is 7-for-20 in interleague play. ... The Pirates are 3-11 against left-handed starters. Their own starting pitchers are 0-8 in 15 games since Josh Fogg beat the Cubs on May 29.
Angels 4, Pirates 3
Wednesday
Anaheim
7:05 .pm., FSP
Pitching matchups
Lackey (4-7) vs.
Fogg (3-5)
