News
Guerrero, Morales give Angels a win
Duo combines for four homers, including Vlad's 400th
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
08/11/09 3:30 AM ET
ANAHEIM -- After being shut out for the first time at home in 73 games on Sunday by the Rangers, the Angels were just hoping for their offense to show some life on Monday when they hosted the Rays.Well, the offense did just that, as Vladimir Guerrero and Kendry Morales hit two home runs each to lead the Angels to an 8-7 win over the Rays at Angel Stadium.
It was a special night for Guerrero, who not only hit his 400th career homer, but it also was the game-winner. His solo home run in the seventh inning gave the Angels a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Relievers Kevin Jepsen and Brian Fuentes combined to throw three scoreless innings to close out the game.
"We got some big home runs from Vlad and Kendry, but in between we also did a great job with situational hitting with runners in scoring position," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We kept scoring and they kept answering, but in the end, we got some clutch pitching from Kevin Jepsen and Brian Fuentes to win the game."
Guerrero stole the show, however, at least judging by the reaction of the 37,888 fans that gave him a standing ovation and called for a curtain call after his 400th career dinger gave the Angels the lead in the seventh.
It was a dramatic opposite-field home run off the right-field foul pole that even had Guerrero uncharacteristically giving a fist pump at first base when the ball caromed off the pole.
"I feel very good that not only was it home run No. 400, but it came at a moment when the team really needed it," Guerrero said through a translator.
Guerrero's eighth home run of the year, which came on a 3-1 fastball, made Rays reliever Russ Springer the loser.
"It was a fastball a little bit off the plate," Springer said. "He's made a career out of hitting pitchers' pitches and hitting balls off the plate and still doing damage with it. I threw the ball where I wanted, and he hit the right-field foul pole with it."
The long ball made him a footnote in the storied 14-year career of the free-swinging Guerrero.
"I've never faced a guy in my career ... who covers as much of an area as he does," Springer said. "He hits balls down and in. He hits balls out. When he's locked in, he has a big area he can make contact with."
The home run also came on a night when both starting pitchers struggled and offense reigned supreme.
Elite company | ||
| With his 400th career home run, Vladimir Guerrero became only the sixth player in Major League history with 400 homers and a career batting average of at least .320. | ||
Player | Avg. | Homers |
| Jimmie Foxx | .325 | 534 |
| Lou Gehrig | .340 | 493 |
| Vladimir Guerrero | .322 | 400 |
| Stan Musial | .331 | 475 |
| Babe Ruth | .342 | 714 |
| Ted Williams | .344 | 521 |
| courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau | ||
The Rays jumped out to an early lead against Angels rookie starter Sean O'Sullivan with two runs in the first via a run-scoring double by Evan Longoria and an RBI single by Ben Zobrist.
But the Angels came right back with three runs of their own in the second against Rays starter Matt Garza, including Guerrero's first home run of the game. Erick Aybar added an RBI single in the inning, and Chone Figgins had his first RBI in 12 games with a run-scoring single of his own.
Tampa Bay, though, came back with a solo home run by Jason Bartlett to tie the game at 3 before Morales hit his first home run of the game in the third with a two-run shot off Garza.
Maicer Izturis' sacrifice fly gave the Angels a 6-3 lead in the fourth inning, and Garza was pulled after giving up six runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings. It was his shortest outing with the Rays.
But the Rays came right back with three runs in the fifth when Carl Crawford hit a run-scoring double and Zobrist scored him with a sacrifice fly. Carlos Pena then homered to knock O'Sullivan out of the game.
"I think a couple things got away from him there," Scioscia said of O'Sullivan. "I think he fell behind and left fastballs in good zones. They have a group of guys over there that can drive the ball and they have bunch of guys who can run the base paths."
In all, Sullivan allowed six runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.
"Everything felt a little off tonight," O'Sullivan admitted after the game. "I was having trouble getting ahead in the counts, and with a team like that, you can't fall behind and expect fastballs to sneak in there. But with an offense like ours, we're always in the game."
The Angels retook the lead in the fifth on Morales' second homer, but the Rays quickly tied in the sixth with an RBI triple by Bartlett, who finished a single short of the cycle.
But it all led up to Guerrero's heroics in the seventh inning, which made Jepsen the winner after pitching two scoreless innings in relief. Fuentes pitched a perfect ninth, including a running catch by Juan Rivera near the wall in left to secure the final out on a ball hit by Zobrist.
The win also left Scioscia confident the Angels can continue to grow offensively, especially with the way Guerrero has been swinging the bat and with Torii Hunter expected to rejoin the team this weekend.
"I think they're going to enhance what we're going. Our depth is going to be important because our lineup gets deep in a hurry with Torii," Scioscia said. "And we're going to need that moving forward. And hopefully our pitchers will settle down."
Rhett Bollinger is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
