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Figgins leads way as Angels pound Devil Rays

Sep 18, 2007 - 7:05 AM ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rebounded from a disheartening loss against their favorite punching bag.

Chone Figgins, Orlando Cabrera and Casey Kotchman each drove in a pair of runs as the Angels pounded the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 10-7, in the opener of a three-game series on Monday.

Anaheim saw its bullpen yield eight runs in the final two-plus inning of Sunday's 9-7 loss to Chicago. However, the Angels did some offensive damage of their own in this one, pounding Edwin Jackson (4-15) for seven runs - four earned - and 14 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

"Our offense is just clicking right now and it's a good time in the year to hit like this," Figgins said. "Just hope we can keep swinging the bats like this for about another month and a half."

Figgins snapped a 6-6 tie with a triple over center fielder B.J. Upton's head in the fifth inning that scored Nathan Haynes, and the Angels added three more runs in the sixth en route to their sixth straight win here and 11th in the last 14 meetings.

"I saw him playing shallow so I just wanted to hit the ball hard somewhere in the gap but I got enough that it went over his head," Figgins said.

In the sixth, the Angels put the game away with three runs thanks in part to a throwing error by Upton. Garret Anderson drew a leadoff walk and Maicer Izturis singled to center. Upton air-mailed the throw to third and it wound up in the Devil Rays' dugout, allowing Anderson to score for an 8-6 lead.

"It just got away from me," Upton said. "I knew Figgins was running so I had to hurry and make a throw and I just rushed the throw and it got away."

Kotchman plated Izturis with a single and Howie Kendrick tripled to center to score Kotchman for a 10-6 lead.

"He's (Anderson) one of the main reasons why their offense is clicking right now," Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "They remind of the the championship team in 2002 with how everyone in the lineup is hitting."

The Angels' offensive explosion helped offset a poor outing by American League Cy Young Award candidate Kelvim Escobar and reduced their magic number to clinch the American League West to five.

"I just haven't been pitching like I have been all year lately, and I need to make some adjustments and get it going again," Escobar said.

Escobar was roughed up for six runs and eight hits in just four innings, with three strikeouts and two walks.

"I fell behind a lot of batters and that got my pitch count up high," Escobar said. "Seems like I was always working with runners on base."

The bullpen, which was the goat on Sunday, turned in a stellar performance in place of the ineffective Escobar, who entered 17-7. Darren Oliver (3-0) allowed just two hits in 1 2/3 innings and Chris Bootcheck got out of a first-and-third jam in the sixth to preserve a 7-6 lead.

"They (bullpen) did a good job coming out there tonight and bouncing back from some rough outings over the weekend," Angels manager Mike Scoscia said.