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Lackey, Angels take advantage of miscues, top Indians

Aug 17, 2008 - 12:30 AM By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- John Lackey received credit for the win, but felt he deserved only half of the victory. The other half belonged to Darren Oliver, who escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh.

Lackey pitched six solid innings as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim edged the Cleveland Indians 4-3, on Saturday.

Lackey (10-2) held the Indians to three runs and six hits while walking three and striking out three. The righthander has won nine of his last 10 decisions, but was quick to pass the credit to Oliver.

The lefthander relieved Lackey and quickly loaded the bases with none out in the seventh. The veteran lefthander recovered, however, striking out Kelly Shoppach and retiring Ryan Garko and pinch hitter Jamey Carroll to keep the Angels in front.

"D.O. deserves half a win," Lackey said. "He did a David Copperfield to get out of there."

"Best case is a strike out and then a double play," Oliver said. "But I am not a double-play pitcher."

Oliver was able to get the second out when shortstop Erick Aybar made a spectacular catch in shallow left to rob Garko of at least a game-tying RBI. Garko hit a soft liner that looked like it was going to drop, but Aybar raced out and made a diving catch.

"I didn't think I was going to catch it, but I just ran fast," Aybar said through a translator.

Scot Shields worked a scoreless eighth and Francisco Rodriguez pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth to pick up his major league-leading 47th save in 52 chances. Rodriguez is 10 saves away from equaling Bobby Thigpen's single-season record set in 1990.

"(Aybar's) play was a huge play," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Obviously, it got bigger when they didn't score."

Garko's two-run homer off Lackey in the fourth cut the deficit to 4-3, but it was not enough to overcome the Indians' defensive meltdown an inning earlier.

Cleveland committed two errors in the third, and starter Fausto Carmona did not help matters with a wild pitch as Anaheim scored three times to take a 4-1 lead.

Carmona walked Aybar with one out and Mark Teixeira followed with a single to right. Right fielder Ben Francisco tried to throw out Aybar at third, but the ball ended up in the seats, allowing Aybar to score and Teixeira to go to third.

Third baseman Andy Marte then threw the ball into the stands after fielding Vladimir Guerrero's grounder as Teixeira came home. Guerrero wound up scoring on a wild pitch by Carmona.

"(Errors) are part of the game," Carmona said through a translator. "There are days when guys catch the ball and help you out. It didn't affect my concentration."

Carmona (5-5) yielded four runs - two earned - six hits and two walks in seven innings. The righthander is 1-3 with an 8.31 ERA since returning from the disabled list.

Cleveland finished the game with a season-high four errors and left 13 men on base - going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

"I don't think you can play any worse than we did early on," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "It was pretty ugly out there."