Hard-luck Escobar feeling good times for the Angels

Saturday, Los Angeles
clobbered the Pirates, 10-1.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — After consecutive starts in which his teammates have totaled 20 runs of support, Kelvim Escobar is starting to feel that his hard-luck days with the Los Angeles Angels are over.

Escobar breezed to his ninth victory and Vladimir Guerrero punctuated a 17-hit attack with a two-run homer, helping the Angels rout the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1 Saturday night.

The victory came six days after the right-hander beat the Dodgers 10-4.

“Everybody knows how tough it was for me last year, pitching well and not getting good results. But it seems like everything is starting to turn around and I’m very happy,” Escobar said.

“I’ve always said, when you work hard, it’s going to pay off someday. You just have to be patient and wait for your time.”

Best start

The Angels, vying for their third AL West title in four years, are off to the best start in franchise history at 48-27 and are 21 games over .500 for the first time since finishing 95-67 in 2005. They increased their division lead to a season-high eight games over Oakland.

Escobar (9-3) sent the Pirates to their fourth straight loss, allowing a run and five hits over eight innings and striking out four.

The right-hander, who became a full-time starter in 2004 after joining the Angels from Toronto as a free agent, is only two wins shy of last season’s total.

Snell shelled

Ian Snell (6-5) gave up five runs and 10 hits over six innings in his first career appearance against the Angels, making the right-hander 0-3 with a 4.05 ERA in his last six road starts.

Snell pitched for the first time in 10 days since recording his first complete game in the majors with an 8-1 victory over Texas.

He missed his scheduled turn last Tuesday at Seattle because of a blister on his index finger, which he burned while cleaning his stove.

Xavier Nady doubled in the seventh, extending Pittsburgh’s streak to 30 consecutive games with an extra-base hit, and Ronny Paulino singled him home for his second hit of the game.

It was the 21st time this season that the Pirates scored fewer than three runs, and they have lost all 21.