AL: LA ANGELS at OAKLAND <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LA ANGELS (3) AT OAKLAND (2) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LA ANGELS 1ST: C Figgins walked. R Willits singled to right, C Figgins to third. J Rivera singled to left, C Figgins scored, R Willits to second. K Morales popped out to second. H Kendrick flied out to center. R Quinlan flied out to left. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 0. OAKLAND 3RD: K Suzuki grounded out to shortstop. J Furmaniak struck out swinging. S Stewart singled to center. D Barton singled to center, S Stewart to second. N Swisher singled to right, S Stewart scored, D Barton to third. J Cust struck out swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 1. LA ANGELS 4TH: L DiNardo relieved D Braden. H Kendrick reached on infield single to third. R Quinlan doubled to deep right, H Kendrick to third. J Mathis hit sacrifice fly to right, H Kendrick scored, R Quinlan to third. E Aybar reached on infield single to second, R Quinlan scored. B Wood struck out swinging. C Figgins flied out to center. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. OAKLAND 8TH: S Shields relieved B Colon. N Haynes in left field. S Stewart struck out swinging. D Barton singled to left. N Swisher struck out swinging. D Barton to second on wild pitch by S Shields. J Cust walked. K Thompson ran for J Cust. D Johnson singled to right, D Barton scored, K Thompson to third. J Hannahan grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, D Johnson out at second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 2.</div>
AL: LA ANGELS at OAKLAND <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LA ANGELS (3) AT OAKLAND (2) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ La Angels Starting Lineups -- C Figgins RF, R Willits CF, J Rivera DH, K Morales 1B, H Kendrick 2B, R Quinlan LF, J Mathis C, E Aybar SS, B Wood 3B, K Escobar RHP. Oakland Starting Lineups -- S Stewart LF, D Barton 1B, N Swisher CF, J Cust RF, D Johnson DH, J Hannahan 3B, M Scutaro SS, K Suzuki C, J Furmaniak 2B, D Braden LHP. Umpires -- Tim Mcclelland (HP), Fieldin Culbreth (1B), Marty Foster (2B), Paul Schrieber (3B). Gametime Weather: 68 degrees, Sunny, wind left to right at 9 mph. LA ANGELS 1ST: C Figgins walked. R Willits singled to right, C Figgins to third. J Rivera singled to left, C Figgins scored, R Willits to second. K Morales popped out to second. H Kendrick flied out to center. R Quinlan flied out to left. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 0. OAKLAND 1ST: S Stewart reached on infield single to shortstop. D Barton flied out to left. N Swisher grounded out to pitcher, S Stewart to second. J Cust grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 0. LA ANGELS 2ND: J Mathis struck out swinging. E Aybar struck out looking. B Wood singled to left. C Figgins struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 0. OAKLAND 2ND: D Johnson struck out swinging. J Hannahan fouled out to third. M Scutaro grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 0. LA ANGELS 3RD: R Willits grounded out to first. J Rivera grounded out to third. K Morales fouled out to catcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 0. OAKLAND 3RD: K Suzuki grounded out to shortstop. J Furmaniak struck out swinging. S Stewart singled to center. D Barton singled to center, S Stewart to second. N Swisher singled to right, S Stewart scored, D Barton to third. J Cust struck out swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 1, OAKLAND 1. LA ANGELS 4TH: L DiNardo relieved D Braden. H Kendrick reached on infield single to third. R Quinlan doubled to deep right, H Kendrick to third. J Mathis hit sacrifice fly to right, H Kendrick scored, R Quinlan to third. E Aybar reached on infield single to second, R Quinlan scored. B Wood struck out swinging. C Figgins flied out to center. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. OAKLAND 4TH: D Johnson struck out looking. J Hannahan grounded out to second. M Scutaro flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. LA ANGELS 5TH: R Willits grounded out to shortstop. J Rivera grounded out to shortstop. K Morales struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. OAKLAND 5TH: K Suzuki walked. J Furmaniak walked, K Suzuki to second. S Stewart grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, K Suzuki out at third, J Furmaniak to second. D Barton flied out to right. N Swisher flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. LA ANGELS 6TH: H Kendrick grounded out to second. R Quinlan singled to center. J Mathis grounded into double play, third to second to first, R Quinlan out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. OAKLAND 6TH: J Cust grounded out to second. D Johnson singled to right. J Hannahan grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, D Johnson out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. LA ANGELS 7TH: E Aybar struck out swinging. B Wood struck out swinging. C Figgins grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. OAKLAND 7TH: B Colon relieved K Escobar. M Scutaro struck out swinging. K Suzuki flied out to right. J Furmaniak struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. LA ANGELS 8TH: R Willits grounded out to second. J Rivera flied out to right. K Morales singled to left. R Lugo relieved L DiNardo. H Kendrick struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 1. OAKLAND 8TH: S Shields relieved B Colon. N Haynes in left field. S Stewart struck out swinging. D Barton singled to left. N Swisher struck out swinging. D Barton to second on wild pitch by S Shields. J Cust walked. K Thompson ran for J Cust. D Johnson singled to right, D Barton scored, K Thompson to third. J Hannahan grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, D Johnson out at second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 2. LA ANGELS 9TH: K Thompson in right field. N Haynes singled to right. N Haynes caught stealing second, catcher to second. J Mathis struck out swinging. E Aybar flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 2. OAKLAND 9TH: F Rodriguez relieved S Shields. M Scutaro singled to right. K Suzuki sacrificed to third, M Scutaro to second. M Piazza hit for J Furmaniak. M Piazza flied out to left. S Stewart popped out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 2.</div>
Escobar finds early-season form, downs Athletics <h3>LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 2</h3>By Tom Kent PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer OAKLAND, California (Ticker) - Kelvim Escobar may haverecaptured his first half form just in time. Escobar pitched six effective innings and Juan Rivera, JeffMathis and Erick Aybar drove in a run apiece for the Los AngelesAngels of Anaheim on their way to defeating the OaklandAthletics, 3-2, on Saturday. Escobar (18-7), who will be the Angels' No. 2 starter againstthe Boston Red Sox in next week's American League DivisionSeries, entered with a career-high 17 wins. However, he hasfaltered down the stretch, posting a 10.19 ERA in his last fourstarts. After allowing six runs and eight hits in four innings in hislast start against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on September 17,Escobar missed his next start due to an inflamed right shoulder. However, the 30-year-old righthander seemed back in sync againstOakland, yielding just one run and five hits with two walks andfour strikeouts. Despite his recent struggles, he won histhird straight decision, throwing 57 of his 92 pitches forstrikes. With the game tied 1-1 in the fourth inning, Howie Kendricksingled and Robb Quinlan followed with a double down the rightfield line off Oakland reliever Lenny DiNardo (8-10). Mathisadded an RBI sacrifice fly to center field and Aybar platedQuinlan from third base with an infield single to give Anaheim a3-1 advantage. Bartolo Colon, who was making his first relief appearance sinceSeptember 27, 1997, pitched a scoreless seventh inning. RelieverScot Shields surrendered a run in the eighth before handingover the ninth to closer Francisco Rodriguez, who pitched aperfect ninth for his 40th save in 46 chances. The Athletics fell to season-high 11 games under .500 and 19games behind the first-place Angels in the American League WestDivision. It is Oakland's largest deficit in the division sincefinishing 25 games behind the Seattle Mariners in 1997.
Escobar finds early-season form, downs Athletics <h3>LA ANGELS 3, OAKLAND 2</h3>By Tom Kent PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer OAKLAND, California (Ticker) - Kelvim Escobar may haverecaptured his first half form just in time. Escobar pitched six effective innings and Juan Rivera, JeffMathis and Erick Aybar drove in a run apiece for the Los AngelesAngels of Anaheim on their way to defeating the OaklandAthletics, 3-2, on Saturday. Escobar (18-7), who will be the Angels' No. 2 starter againstthe Boston Red Sox in next week's American League DivisionSeries, entered with a career-high 17 wins. However, he hasfaltered down the stretch, posting a 10.19 ERA in his last fourstarts. After allowing six runs and eight hits in four innings in hislast start against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on September 17,Escobar missed his next start due to an inflamed right shoulder. "Kelvim's last handful of starts weren't as crisp for him as inthe beginning of the year," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said."I think we just needed to let him catch his breath a little." However, the 30-year-old righthander seemed back in sync againstOakland, yielding just one run and five hits with two walks andfour strikeouts. Despite his recent struggles, he won histhird straight decision, throwing 57 of his 92 pitches forstrikes. "The most important thing is that my shoulder feels good,"Escobar said. "It was almost like spring training today whenyou're getting ready for the season. This time, I was gettingmy focus and getting ready for the postseason. It felt good." With the game tied 1-1 in the fourth inning, Howie Kendricksingled and Robb Quinlan followed with a double down the rightfield line off Oakland reliever Lenny DiNardo (8-10). Mathisadded an RBI sacrifice fly to center field and Aybar platedQuinlan from third base with an infield single to give Anaheim a3-1 advantage. Bartolo Colon, who was making his first relief appearance sinceSeptember 27, 1997, pitched a scoreless seventh inning. RelieverScot Shields surrendered a run in the eighth before handingover the ninth to closer Francisco Rodriguez, who pitched aperfect ninth for his 40th save in 46 chances. "We've looked at a couple of scenarios," Scioscia said ofColon's postseason status. "I'm ruling him out as a starter,but we want to look at him coming out of the (bull)pen ifnecessary as well." "It would be great," Escobar said of Colon's potential bullpenrole. "He's pitched a long time, and you can't have enoughstarting pitching in the playoffs." The Athletics fell to season-high 11 games under .500 and 19games behind the first-place Angels in the American League WestDivision. It is Oakland's largest deficit in the division sincefinishing 25 games behind the Seattle Mariners in 1997.
AL: LA ANGELS at OAKLAND <div class="pre">LA ANGELS (3) VS OAKLAND (2) - FINAL LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg C Figgins rf 3 1 0 0 1 1 2 .332 R Willits cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .293 J Rivera dh 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .279 K Morales 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .293 H Kendrick 2b 4 1 1 0 0 1 3 .322 R Quinlan lf 3 1 2 0 0 0 2 .249 N Haynes lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .286 J Mathis c 3 0 0 1 0 2 2 .211 E Aybar ss 4 0 1 1 0 2 0 .242 B Wood 3b 3 0 1 0 0 2 1 .172 Totals 33 3 9 3 1 9 12 BATTING: 2B - R Quinlan (9, L DiNardo). SF - J Mathis. RBI - J Rivera (8), J Mathis (23), E Aybar (19). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Quinlan 1. GIDP - J Mathis. Team LOB - 5. BASERUNNING: CS - N Haynes (2, 2nd base by R Lugo/K Suzuki). FIELDING: DP: 1 (H Kendrick-E Aybar-K Morales). OAKLAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg S Stewart lf 5 1 2 0 0 1 3 .290 D Barton 1b 4 1 2 0 0 0 3 .353 N Swisher cf 4 0 1 1 0 1 3 .261 J Cust rf 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .255 K Thompson pr-rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .156 D Johnson dh 4 0 2 1 0 2 0 .236 J Hannahan 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .279 M Scutaro ss 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 .260 K Suzuki c 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .249 J Furmaniak 2b 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 .176 a-M Piazza ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .275 Totals 33 2 8 2 3 8 16 a-flied out to left for J Furmaniak in the 9th. BATTING: S - K Suzuki. RBI - N Swisher (77), D Johnson (62). 2-out RBI - N Swisher, D Johnson. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Cust 2, S Stewart 1, J Hannahan 1, N Swisher 1. GIDP - J Hannahan. Team LOB - 8. FIELDING: DP: 1 (J Hannahan-J Furmaniak-D Barton). ---------------------------------------------------- LA ANGELS - 100 200 000 -- 3 OAKLAND - 001 000 010 -- 2 ---------------------------------------------------- LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era K Escobar (W, 18-7) 6 5 1 1 2 4 0 3.40 B Colon (H, 1) 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 6.34 S Shields (H, 33) 1 2 1 1 1 2 0 3.86 F Rodriguez (S, 40) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.81 OAKLAND ip h r er bb so hr era D Braden 3 3 1 1 1 3 0 6.72 L DiNardo (L, 8-10) 4 2/3 5 2 2 0 4 0 4.11 R Lugo 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 2 0 5.40 WP - S Shields. Pitches-strikes: K Escobar 92-57; B Colon 8-7; S Shields 20-13; F Rodriguez 10-9; D Braden 54-34; L DiNardo 63-44; R Lugo 13-10. Ground balls-fly balls: K Escobar 9-5; B Colon 0-1; S Shields 1-0; F Rodriguez 1-2; D Braden 2-4; L DiNardo 7-3; R Lugo 0-1. Batters faced: K Escobar 24; B Colon 3; S Shields 6; F Rodriguez 4; D Braden 13; L DiNardo 18; R Lugo 4. UMPIRES: HP--Tim Mcclelland. 1B--Fieldin Culbreth. 2B--Marty Foster. 3B--Paul Schrieber. T--2:23. Att--26,480. Weather: 68 degrees, sunny. Wind: 9 mph, left to right.</div>
