Lackey's streak ends, as does Halos'

07/19/2006
ANAHEIM -- All things being equal, John Lackey will take the win.
And since there truly is no equal to "the W" in sports, Lackey was left at a loss -- literally.
The right-hander brought a scoreless innings streak with him into Wednesday's start and ran the string to 30 2/3 until Ben Broussard brought it to an abrupt close with a two-run, game-tying homer.
That blast helped fuel a five-run fifth by the Indians as the Angels went down to a 6-4 defeat on a warm afternoon that saw their winning streak end at eight games.
Lackey had a few words for himself as he walked around the mound after the 0-1 pitch to Broussard left the yard, but it wasn't about the streak which had become more annoyance than achievement for the starter.
"I couldn't care less about the scoreless innings streak," Lackey said. "I want to win; that tied the game, man."
It was the first loss in five starts for Lackey, who was clearly not as sharp as he's been. But the offense, which has been red-hot to match the heat wave sweeping most of the nation, can only look at missed opportunities as the Halos fell 1 1/2 games back of the A's in the American League West.
The Angels had nine hits, including another home run by Juan Rivera, who hit his eighth home run of July and 14th this season. But they stranded nine runners and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position in a game that presented multiple opportunities against a familiar face.
Paul Byrd was pure to form Wednesday, allowing hits and putting runners on. But as he proved in an Angels uniform last season, he had command of the strike zone. He didn't walk a batter and allowed just three runs despite giving up 10 hits.
"Paul pitched like he did for us last year. He changed speeds and he used his defense," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He made some pitches to get off the hook, but that play [Casey] Blake made was huge."
That would be a diving grab of a sinking liner off the bat of Chone Figgins in the sixth. With two out and two on, Figgins pulled a shot down the right-field line that was certain to score two with a probable triple as the outcome, but Blake laid out to catch the ball and end the inning.
But as Byrd joked a day earlier, one run should have been enough for the Angels.
Lackey had tossed two complete-game shutouts in his two previous starts while recording at least 10 strikeouts in his last three outings. The last Angels starter to accomplish either of those feats was Mark Langston in the early '90s.
With a solid fastball location and a sharp breaking ball, Lackey had not allowed a run since the sixth inning of a June 26 home game against the Rockies. But his command was not the same Wednesday, and the Indians have a potent lineup.
Lackey put runners on the corners in the first inning but managed to strike out the side. He then loaded the bases in the second on a single, a double and a walk before fanning Blake to end the inning. He allowed two hits and a walk over the next two innings, but the inevitable was looming as he went increasingly to his slider.
The Angels staked Lackey to a 2-0 lead on Vladimir Guerrero's RBI single in the first and Rivera's solo homer in the fourth, but the scoreless ride for Lackey ended in the fifth.
After striking out Travis Hafner to open the inning, Lackey walked Victor Martinez on four pitches and left a two-seam fastball out over the plate for Broussard to hit for his 12th home run this season.
Ronnie Belliard then hit an infield single, but strained his left hamstring and left the game. Todd Hollandsworth doubled to left and Jhonny Peralta followed with a two-run single to right off Lackey. Joe Inglett then capped the inning with an RBI double to left to score Peralta and give the Indians a 5-2 advantage.
"I haven't caught him in a while, but his command seemed a little off," said Jose Molina, who started behind the plate. "But that is the game of baseball. Sometimes you have it, some times you don't."
The Angels have gone 13-2 in July to get back in the hunt in the American League West. They now head out on a 10-game road trip to face the Royals, Rays and Red Sox before returning home for six games with divisional rivals Oakland and Texas.
"We're definitely in the race; we're right there," Lackey said. "But I definitely think that other teams look at what we do because we've won it the last two years."

Source: http://angels.mlb.com/