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Angels edge ahead of A’s with 10-4 victory

By Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
Thursday July 18, 2002

OAKLAND – Garret Anderson homered and doubled, and light-hitting Jorge Fabregas drove in the go-ahead run Wednesday night as the Anaheim Angels edged back ahead of Oakland in the AL West standings, beating the Athletics 10-4. 

David Eckstein hit a three-run homer and reached base five times for the Angels, who jumped all over Tim Hudson for a rare victory over their upstate rivals. Anaheim has won just four of its last 19 meetings with the A’s. 

In the first of two games at the Coliseum, Anaheim (55-38) moved in front of the A’s (55-40) for second place in the tight division race. The Angels also got a good start to a string of 11 straight games against Oakland and Seattle. 

Anaheim’s lengthy injury list got longer with the pregame addition of catcher Bengie Molina, who went on the disabled list with a strained hamstring. Fabregas, who entered the game hitting .206, went 1-for-4 in Molina’s place, but he got the game’s key hit against Hudson (7-8) in the sixth. 

Miguel Tejada, Jermaine Dye and John Mabry homered for the A’s, who might have been feeling the effects of a 3 a.m. arrival in Oakland on Wednesday following a cross-country flight from Tampa Bay. The A’s, who went 5-1 on their road trip, lost for just the third time in 11 games. 

The Angels rallied from a 3-2 deficit by batting around in a three-run sixth. Scott Spiezio, who had three hits and three runs scored, had an RBI double before Fabregas put Anaheim ahead with a single up the middle off Hudson, who allowed eight hits and walked three in 5 1-3 lackluster innings. 

It was a distubring turn for Hudson, who was back in the dismal form he showed during an eight-game winless skid in May and June. He had won four of his previous six starts, allowing just one run in his last three. 

Anaheim added four more while batting around again in the eighth. Eckstein, the Angels’ diminutive leadoff hitter, cracked his fifth homer of the season over the left-field fence against reliever Mike Venafro. 

Former A’s starter Kevin Appier (8-7) allowed seven hits and four walks over six shaky innings, but he kept the A’s off the scoreboard except on their two homers. 

Anderson put the Angels up 2-0 in the first after Hudson threw high and tight with a 2-2 pitch. Anderson glared at Hudson, dusted himself off and launched the next pitch past the right-field pole. It was his 18th homer. 

Notes: OF Darin Erstad didn’t start, but he was available to pinch-hit for Anaheim. Erstad, who’s in an 0-for-17 slump, had a blood blister drained from the top of his left foot on Tuesday. ... Attendance at the Coliseum, helped by $1 hot dogs, was a surprisingly robust 38,547. ... Eric Chavez went hitless in four at-bats. He’s in the middle of an 0-for-25 skid — the worst of his career. ... Angels closer Troy Percival and relievers Dennis Cook and Al Levine also are injured.