Angels Throw Weight Around

Meet the new bully on the block.

The Angels have earned the right to push lesser teams around. After all, they have had to scrub sand from their faces year after year. But there is just a hint of satisfaction in the way they are beating up on the American League’s have-nots these days.

By the time they were done with the Kansas City Royals Monday, the Angels had a 6-3 victory that extended one of the hottest stretches in franchise history.

“For us, these are the teams that have always been our nemesis,” outfielder Tim Salmon said. “We have always played the better teams tough. It seems like we don’t play as well against teams like Detroit and Kansas City, teams that are not as good as we are. So far, we’ve been able to get the job done against those teams this season.”

The Angels went into the game riding their best since 1995. The victory, their 19th in the last 22 games, gave them their best start since 1989.

Of course, the Angels failed to win the division title either of those seasons. Which more than anything explains the sparse crowd of 14,035 at Edison Field. Angel fans have been fooled by May flowers before, only to settle for weeds in September. They know this muscle flexing may only be temporary.

But what the no-shows did miss was another night when the Angels got the most out of their resources.

“We’re not playing perfect baseball, but we’re hitting on all cylinders,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We hope that this is a level of production we can sustain all year.”

The Angels managed to sustain it through Monday’s game.

They were solid in the field. Shortstop David Eckstein made a diving stop on a grounder to get the Angels out of a two-on, two-out situation in the first. Third baseman Troy Glaus ended the sixth by throwing out Mike Sweeney, who had singled in a run and then tried to take second on a throw to third.

They made the most of a potluck offense. Darin Erstad, Garret Anderson, Brad Fullmer, Scott Spiezio and Adam Kennedy each drove in runs to build a 5-1 lead through six innings.

They got great pitching. Kevin Appier dominated at times, retiring 15 consecutive batters in one stretch. He went 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs, to improve his record to 5-1. The bullpen then finished it off.

“During this streak, every aspect of our team has been solid,” Appier said. “That’s what it is going to take in this division. We have to be solid in all areas.”

The Angels brought all that to bear Monday against the Royals, who have the American League’s worst offense. They entered with the league’s lowest team batting average (.231) and fewest home runs (25).

But, then, the Angels’ hot streak has been built on weaker pitching staffs.

“We don’t look at it that way,” Scioscia said. “Any time you face major league pitching, it’s a challenge. There is a lot of talent on every major league team.”

Still, there is less on lesser teams, and the Chicago White Sox are the only team with a winning record the Angels have faced in their last 21 games. The Angels (25-17) have won 18 of those games to move within 3 1/2 games of the Seattle Mariners.

The Angels have handled such 98-pound weaklings as the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays, two teams who seem destined to spend the summer challenging the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the worst record in the league.

Toss on that heap the Royals (16-27), whose play has already cost Manager Tony Muser his job. Tony Pena has taken over the helm, but the Royals have stayed the (downward) course.

The Angels wasted little time in again oppressing the unfortunate, scoring three times in the first inning.

Eckstein dumped a single into right field and, one out later, Glaus was hit by a pitch. Anderson ended an 0-for-12 streak with a single to left, and Eckstein barely beat the throw to the plate. Fullmer followed with a single to center, scoring Glaus. One out later, Spiezio singled to center to score Anderson.

Appier took it from there.