Angels’ Saunders puts a chill on Indians, 4-1

The weather outside was frightful, with a game-time temperature of 33 degrees and a freakish spring blizzard blanketing southeast Wisconsin in more than six inches of snow, conditions that prompted outfielder Trot Nixon of the beleaguered Cleveland Indians to pronounce, “Our next home game is in Hawaii.”

But it was 62 degrees, clear and dry under the roof in Miller Park, the Indians’ temporary home away from home, and the (Snow) Angels warmed to the surroundings nicely Wednesday night, riding Joe Saunders’ superb start and another lock-down relief effort to a 4-1 victory over Cleveland in front of 16,375.

“It was a little strange driving through a snow storm to get to the park,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “This was definitely a novelty.”

Strong pitching is not. It has been an Angels staple for more than three years now, and it should only get better when Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver come off the disabled list in the next week or two, additions that will make it that much harder to subtract Saunders from the rotation.

Saunders and Dustin Moseley are considered temporary fill-ins for Colon and Weaver, but Saunders showed he belonged -- again -- Wednesday, giving up one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings, which left the left-hander with a 2.92 earned-run average after two starts.

“They know I can pitch here, I know I can pitch here, whatever happens, it’s out of my control,” said Saunders, who was 7-3 with a 4.71 ERA in 13 starts last season. “I made my case last year. I just do my thing and don’t worry about stuff I can’t control.”

What Saunders could control Wednesday was the two-seam, sinking fastball he threw to Ryan Garko on a 3-and-1 pitch with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning. The Indians’ cleanup batter bounced into a double play, and Saunders retired nine of the next 10 batters before Jhonny Peralta’s home run in the seventh.

“That was the turning point in the game for me,” Saunders said of the double play. “If my pitch count had gone any higher that inning, who knows?”

Saunders was pulled after walking Kelly Shoppach with two outs in the seventh, and Justin Speier, Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez (fourth save) combined to retire the next seven batters.

The Angels scored a run on a double-play grounder by Garret Anderson in the first inning and catcher Mike Napoli, who was batting .188, knocked in a run with a triple to right field in the sixth and scored on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead.

“Nap has been gripping sawdust out of the bat because he’s trying so hard to contribute offensively,” Scioscia said. “He has to get back into his game, hit the ball up the middle and go from there. That was a big hit for us. It will help him to have some hits fall in.”

Napoli, who often slumps when he tries too hard to pull the ball, hopes the opposite-field hit will help him relax.

“That’s the type of player I am -- I get amped up, and I’m an all-out swinger,” he said. “Sometimes, I have to step back and stop pressing.”

Napoli’s hit and ensuing run gave the Angels some breathing room and allowed them to chuckle about first baseman Casey Kotchman’s mental gaffe in the bottom of the seventh, when he jogged into the dugout after Andy Marte grounded out to third.

One problem: It was only the second out.

“It didn’t click until after I got into the dugout,” Kotchman said. “I guess I wanted to go hit. That’s the first time I’ve done that at any level, T-ball, Little League or anything.”

His penance?

“Don’t worry,” Scioscia said. “Kotch will be buying us some lunch.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com