Angels just keep hitting homers against Indians

Los Angeles hit four more Wednesday in a 9-5 victory over the Tribe.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels usually don’t rely on home run clusters like the one they had against Cleveland Wednesday. But the Indians are giving them up at an alarming rate, and one thing led to another.

Mike Napoli hit his first career grand slam, Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman also went deep against Paul Byrd, and Vladimir Guerrero added a three-run shot against Jensen Lewis in a 9-5 victory.

“We’re hitting home runs right now, which is good for us, but we’re a situational team,” Napoli said. “We know what we’ve got to do. Moving guys over, going from first to third, being aggressive on the bases — that’s who we are.

“But anytime you get home runs up and down the lineup, it’s pretty good.”

Dustin Moseley (1-1) allowed four runs on nine hits and struck out five over six innings after getting staked to a 6-0 lead. The Indians rallied with four runs in the sixth as Jhonny Peralta homered, Casey Blake hit an RBI double and Kelly Shoppach added a two-run shot.

But Guerrero greeted Lewis with a drive to left-center in the seventh for a 9-4 lead after Chone Figgins led off the inning with a broken-bat single and Gary Matthews Jr. reached on a fielding error by Blake at third base.

Byrd (0-2) allowed six runs and five hits in three innings, raising his ERA to 11.05. The 37-year-old right-hander, whose name was included in the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs, had his $7.5 million option for this season picked up by the Indians after capping off a 15-8 campaign with victories in both of his postseason starts.

“It’s been a distraction at times when I’m not on the mound, but it hasn’t really caused me to lose concentration,” Byrd said of the Mitchell controversy. “My head’s pretty clear. I just haven’t had my command at all and I haven’t had very good stuff. To pitch up here, you have to have one of the two, and I have neither right now.”

Napoli gave the Angels a 4-0 lead with his third homer of the season on a cut fastball down and away, after Byrd allowed a single by Torii Hunter, a walk to Kotchman and a single to right by Maicer Izturis. Hunter broke back toward second when Izturis’ ball was hit and had to be held up at third, giving Napoli the opportunity for the grand slam.

“Nap got a pitch over the plate and he didn’t miss it. It was a big hit for us at the time,” manager Mike Scioscia said.

It was the second slam in three games for the Angels, including Hunter’s game-winner in the ninth Monday night against closer Joe Borowski. It also marked the first time they had two grand slams in the same series since April 2002, when shortstop David Eckstein connected both times against Toronto relievers Scott Cassidy and Pedro Borbon.

“I’m trying to figure out how to get the ball down,” Byrd said.

Tuesday, Travis Hafner hit a two-run homer off emergency closer Justin Speier with two outs in the ninth inning as Cleveland beat the Angels 4-3. Jake Westbrook earned his first complete game since 2006.

Speier was forced to close because of Francisco Rodriguez’s ankle problems. He got the last out in the eighth and retired his first two batters in the ninth before walking Asdrubal Cabrera.

Hafner drove the right-hander’s next pitch far over the right-field fence for his second homer. It cost Speier his first save since 2004 with Toronto.