After BP scuffle, Texas shut out

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Bartolo Colon combined with two relievers

on a one-hitter, and the Anaheim Angels beat the Texas Rangers 2-0

Tuesday night after the teams scuffled during batting practice.

Colon pitched seven dominant innings to win his fourth

consecutive start, and Texas' only hit was a clean, ground single

through the left side by Michael Young on a 3-1 pitch with two outs

in the third.

Before the game, a fight broke out between Angels second baseman

Adam Kennedy and Rangers catcher Gerald Laird, a carry-over from

their dispute the night before.

Laird thought Kennedy intentionally tried to get hit by one of

Ryan Drese's pitches with the bases loaded and two outs in the

second inning of Texas' 6-1 victory Monday night, and said

something to Kennedy when he came up again in the fifth.

Kennedy was standing behind the batting cage Tuesday and was

approached by Laird as the Angels were concluding BP and the

Rangers were finishing their pregame stretching. Moments later, the

two were in a tussle that spilled over to the warning track between

home plate and the first base dugout.

Soon every player from each team was involved, with players

pushing, shoving and grabbing each other before order was restored

approximately four minutes later. It was unclear whether any

punches were thrown.

"I'm surprised. It was stupid, to be honest. But it was fun,

though," Texas outfielder Brian Jordan said.

The skirmish nearly overshadowed Colon's best outing since

joining the Angels last December as a free agent.

Colon (9-8) got all eight of his strikeouts in the first 3 1-3

innings, cutting Texas' AL West lead to 1½ games over Oakland. He

lost six of seven decisions before this winning streak -- during

which his ERA is 1.67.

Colon walked two and came out after 95 pitches. Francisco

Rodriguez pitched a perfect eighth, and Troy Percival got three

straight outs for his 299th career save and 16th in 20 attempts

this season.

The one-hitter was the first by the Angels since May 26, 1989,

when Chuck Finley beat Boston 5-0 at Fenway Park. The last team to

throw a one-hitter against the Rangers was Oakland, beating them

10-0 behind Cory Lidle's complete game on July 19, 2002, at

Oakland.

Texas right-hander Nick Regilio, making his first major league

start, allowed two runs, five hits and three walks in five innings

while striking out four. Regilio took over in the rotation for

Ricardo Rodriguez, whose season ended last Thursday when a line

drive by Anaheim's Robb Quinlan broke his elbow.

Vladimir Guerrero, back in the Angels' lineup after missing

three games with a bruised right hand, singled with two outs in the

fourth and came all the way around with the first run on Jose

Guillen's double off the wall in right-center. Quinlan added an RBI

single after an intentional walk to Darin Erstad.

The inning ended with center fielder Laynce Nix making a fully

extended, backhanded, diving grab of Jose Molina's drive just in

front of the warning track. The catch was so sensational, Nix

received a standing ovation from the crowd of 42,625 -- most of whom

were decked out in Angels red.

Anaheim had a chance to break the game open in the sixth,

loading the bases with none one out against Joaquin Benoit. But the

right-hander, reinstated from the bereavement list Monday after

attending the funeral of his grandmother in the Dominican Republic,

struck out Quinlan, Molina and Kennedy on 12 pitches.Game notes
Colon has given up 28 home runs, tying him with Seattle's

Jamie Moyer for the most in the majors. The Rangers entered the

night leading the majors with 150 homers. ... Texas RF Gary

Matthews Jr. charged Tim Salmon's two-out single in the fifth and

erased Chone Figgins at third as he tried to advance two bases.

Figgins returned the favor in the sixth with a diving grab of Rod

Barajas' sinking liner to center field.