Angel Bats Finally Swingin’ in the Rain

CHICAGO —  When it rains, it pours, and that goes for the Angel offense as well as the drenching U.S. Cellular Field took in the ninth inning Wednesday night.

Amid a downpour and against Chicago closer Bobby Jenks for at least part of the ninth, the offensively impaired Angels busted out for six runs, all of them with two out, to turn a one-run game into a 12-5 victory over the White Sox.

Orlando Cabrera sparked the rally with a one-out double, and Tim Salmon (RBI single) and Juan Rivera (two-run double) knocked Jenks out of the game. Robb Quinlan followed with an RBI double off Matt Thornton, and Jose Molina capped the rally with a two-run home run, as the Angels won for only the third time in 13 games.

“It just seemed like we were waiting for them to take it from us,” Salmon said, alluding to a 6-0 lead that dwindled to 6-5 in the seventh. “Then we got some guys on base, we were able to punch it through, and the floodgates kind of opened. It was a good win. Hopefully, it will kick-start us in the right direction.”

When the Angels got to Chicago on Tuesday, their hitters gathered for a meeting to discuss ways to snap out of a lengthy slump. A 9-1 loss Tuesday night extended a skid in which the Angels hit .197 (93 for 473) with 40 runs in 15 games, but they broke through Wednesday, setting season highs for runs in an inning and runs in a game.

The Angels, last in the major leagues in walks, were patient against White Sox starter Charlie Haeger, drawing six walks against the knuckleball specialist, and Garret Anderson, two for 22 on the trip, delivered a three-run double to cap a four-run third.

Salmon and Rivera added RBI singles in the fifth, giving Angel starter Ervin Santana enough of a cushion to absorb Brian Anderson’s three-run homer in the fifth.

“It’s all about momentum,” Salmon said. “Hopefully we can exhale as a group, come out [tonight] relaxed, and recognize what we did [Wednesday] to make us successful.”

The struggles of young players such as Casey Kotchman and Jeff Mathis had put a drag on the Angel offense; Wednesday night, established players such as Anderson, Salmon, Rivera and Vladimir Guerrero (two hits, three runs) led the surge.

“If there’s a responsibility from a veterans’ standpoint, it’s to reassure guys, pick guys up, address what we need to improve on,” Salmon said. “As a group, maybe we weren’t working together or putting enough pressure on pitchers. Maybe were letting guys off the hook. Maybe we need to work more counts, take more pitches.”

One break-out night probably won’t slow General Manager Bill Stoneman’s pursuit of a hitter to bolster the team, and among his primary targets is Alfonso Soriano, the disgruntled Washington left fielder who may be the most attractive player available.

The Nationals are already 10 1/2 games out in the National League East, and Soriano, who is batting .273 with 10 homers and 20 RBIs, will be a free agent after this season. But Soriano wants to return to second base, the spot Adam Kennedy currently holds in Anaheim.

Torii Hunter of the struggling Minnesota Twins could also be an attractive option, but the Twins are not fielding offers for the center fielder at this time. Among the other possible targets are Pittsburgh’s Craig Wilson, Tampa Bay’s Aubrey Huff, Arizona’s Tony Clark and Toronto’s Shea Hillenbrand and Eric Hinske.

“The conversations I’ve had at this point haven’t yielded anything that will help us,” Stoneman said. “If you’re going give up something, you want something back.”

Stoneman faces two challenges. First, with the July 31 trade deadline still 2 1/2 months away, the market isn’t very defined, and the demands of potential sellers will be very high.

Second, several of the prospects other teams asked for in winter trade talks -- Kotchman, Mathis, Dallas McPherson -- may have lost some value because of their early-season struggles.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Stoneman said. “Everyone knows it’s early, and smaller samples aren’t always reliable. We still think very highly about some of our young guys who have struggled.”