Thursday, June 06, 2002
Angels 7, Rangers 5
The Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Just when it seems the Anaheim Angels might have run out of comebacks, they pull out another improbable win. Troy Glaus hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and Anaheim stung Hideki Irabu for three late shots to beat the Texas Rangers 7-5 Wednesday night.
The Angels trailed 4-2 in the ninth and 5-4 in the 10th.
“That was awesome to come back like that,” said Tim Salmon, who hit a solo homer in the ninth to tie it. “Maybe it's just meant to be. Things are going our way. It's just one of those things where the guys here are on a roll.”
Irabu (2-5) is not on a roll. He has given up six home runs in his last three outings. He is 1-3 in his last five outings and has only converted one save during that span. Irabu allowed five runs in 1 1-3 innings against the Angels.
A starter for most of his career, Irabu said he is having trouble adjusting to the new role.
“This is a different situation,” Irabu said through a translator. “I have never been a member of a bullpen. Maybe physically my body may not be fit for this role.”
Juan Gonzalez hit his 400th career home run and Alex Rodriguez hit his AL-leading 20th of the season for Texas. But the Rangers could not overcome Irabu's latest trouble.
Brad Fullmer and Salmon hit consecutive home runs in the bottom of the ninth off Irabu, tying it at 4.
For the Angels, who have won 17 of 21, it was their 18th comeback victory in 34 wins this season.
After Herbert Perry put the Rangers back on top 5-4 with a triple in the ninth, the Angels tied it on Darin Erstad's groundout and won it on Glaus' two-run homer.
Texas manager Jerry Narron said Irabu's problems are with the location of his pitches.
“He's not locating his fastball like earlier,” Narron said. “He's got to go back to that. Earlier he was painting the corners down and away, you could book it. Now he's just not there.”
But Narron isn't giving up.
“We'll just have to see how he continues,” he said.
In his last five outings, Irabu is 1-2 with one save and two blown saves.
Al Levine (3-1) got the victory despite giving up Perry's go-ahead triple.
Gonzalez led off the second inning with a drive to left field, breaking a tie with Al Kaline for 34th place on the career homer list. Gonzalez became the first player from Puerto Rico to reach 400.
Rodriguez hit a line shot to left-center leading off the fourth against Jarrod Washburn.
Ismael Valdes, who left the Angels in the offseason as a free agent, held them to five hits in seven innings. After giving up two runs in the second, he retired 15 of his last 16 hitters.
Texas took a 3-2 in the fourth. Rodriguez homered, and a bad-hop single by Gonzalez and a broken-bat single by Todd Greene led to Bill Haselman's RBI groundout.
Jason Romano hit an RBI double in the seventh to put the Rangers ahead 4-2.
Anaheim scored twice in the second inning on RBI singles by Orlando Palmeiro and Adam Kennedy. It could have been more, but Fullmer was thrown out at home and Kennedy was caught stealing to end the inning.
Notes: The Angels signed their No. 1 draft choice, LHP Joe Saunders. He was the 12th player picked Tuesday. ... The Rangers put CF Carl Everett on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 3 because of a strained hamstring. OF Ryan Ludwick was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma. Ludwick made his major league debut in right field in the 10th inning.
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Angels 7, Rangers 5 
