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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- As Cleveland's lead dwindled Saturday
night, Bob Wickman got ready in the bullpen for a crack at his 23rd
save.
|  | | Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar beats the tag by Angels catcher Bengie Molina to score on a double by David Segui in the fourth inning Saturday. |
By the time Wickman entered to face the Angels in the bottom of
the ninth, it wasn't a save situation.
But Wickman sure wasn't complaining about the two-run home run Travis Fryman hit in the top of the ninth for a 9-5 lead and
victory.
"The momentum was definitely shifting toward the Angels, then
our hero, Travis Fryman, broke their backs," Wickman said after
closing out the Indians' sixth win in eight games.
The Indians opened up a 7-1 lead behind Jason Bere, who was gone
by the time the Angels made a move on the Cleveland bullpen in the
bottom of the eighth.
Anaheim scored four times to pull within two, and had two men on
with two outs when left-hander Ricky Rincon entered to face Mo
Vaughn, representing the lead run.
Rincon, making only his second appearance since being activated
after missing more than three months following elbow surgery, got
Vaughn to beat a ball into the ground to the left of the plate. He
sprang off the mound and his accurate throw nailed Vaughn at first.
Rincon hasn't had a save in two years. But Wickman felt he deserved at least a symbolic one Saturday night.
Winning that key confrontation helped the Indians stay within a
half game of Boston in the AL wild-card race.
"That's Rincon's job, facing left-handed hitters in situations,
and he did a good job at it," said Cleveland manager Charlie
Manuel. "They started coming back on us, and it didn't look like
we could stop them.
"We were very fortunate to get out of that jam."
Bere (10-9) allowed one run, four hits and five walks, and
struck out seven.
"I was effectively wild," Bere said. "I wasn't really able to
locate my pitches, but fortunately we scored a bunch of runs.
"We're right there in the (wild-card) race, and our goal now is
to just win series."
The Indians have won six of seven series in August, heading into the rubber match of the series here Sunday night.
Cleveland had 12 hits, with every starter getting at least one.
Fryman had an RBI single in the seventh and a two-run homer in the
ninth.
Scott Schoeneweis (6-7) was roughed up for eight hits and six
runs in six-plus innings in another rocky start. The rookie
left-hander is 2-7 in 17 starts since winning his first four
decisions.
But he was most distraught over making a throwing error to set
up the Indians' first two runs. Omar Vizquel opened the fourth with
a single. Roberto Alomar bounced back to the mound on a hit-and-run
and Schoeneweis, though having no play at second, whirled and threw
wildly attempting to force Vizquel, who took third as the ball
sailed into center.
Manny Ramirez' sacrifice fly scored Vizquel, and Alomar scored
on a double by David Segui to make it 2-0.
"I can't make the plays in the field," Schoeneweis said. "Two
times in the last three starts, not being able to make a play in
the field beat me.
"I find ways to lose."
The Angels got one run back in the bottom half on Troy Glaus'
RBI groundout.
In the sixth, run-scoring singles by Jim Thome and Cordero made
it 4-1. Cordero's single came on a sharp two-hopper off the left
foot off Schoeneweis, who walked off the pain and finished the
inning.
But Schoeneweis couldn't get another out, departing after
allowing a single to Kenny Lofton and walking Vizquel to start the
seventh.
After the game, Schoeneweis said he would undergo X-rays on his
left foot Sunday morning. "But I don't feel anything now," he
said.
Petkovsek loaded the bases with one out by hitting Ramirez, then
Segui's groundout scored Lofton. Fryman's infield single scored
Vizquel for a 6-1 lead.
Vizquel's RBI single off Lou Pote in the eighth made it 7-1.
The Angels scored four runs in the eighth on RBI singles by
Glaus and Darin Erstad, a bases-loaded walk by Ron Gant and Kevin
Stocker's sacrifice fly.
Game notes
Anderson had three straight singles off Bere, against whom
other left-handed hitters are 0-for-19 in his last two starts. ...
Anderson added a fourth single in the eighth for his second
four-hit game of the season. ... Troy Percival was activated before
the game to reclaim his job as Angels closer, and pitched the ninth
for the Angels. Shigetoshi Hasegawa converted four of five save opportunities in Percival's absence. ... Lofton's run in the
seventh was his 824th with the Indians, moving him ahead of Lou
Boudreau into sixth place on the franchise's career list.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Anaheim Clubhouse
Angels' Erstad resumes hits-record chase after missing four games
RECAPS
Tampa Bay 4
Baltimore 1
Baltimore 2
Tampa Bay 0
(2nd game)
NY Yankees 10
Oakland 6
Detroit 8
Minnesota 2
Toronto 9
Texas 3
Boston 5
Kansas City 3
Seattle 11
Chi. White Sox 5
Cleveland 9
Anaheim 5
Chicago Cubs 6
Los Angeles 4
Colorado 11
Pittsburgh 4
Philadelphia 5
San Francisco 2
Cincinnati 3
Florida 2
Montreal 5
Houston 4
St. Louis 6
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NY Mets 1
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San Diego 5
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