Garland limits Angels to 4 hits

ANAHEIM, Calif. – At times like this, it’s worth trotting out the old baseball adage that says sometimes the best trades you make are the ones you don’t make.

In Dec. 2001, the Chicago White Sox were ready to send pitcher Jon Garland to the Los Angeles Angels as part of a package for Darin Erstad.

The deal, which had been agreed upon by the baseball operations people from both teams, was eventually scrubbed by Tony Tavares, the Angels’ president at the time.

Erstad stayed with the Angels and helped them win the 2002 World Series.

Garland stayed in Chicago and blossomed into an 18-game winner and an all-star this season.

Friday night, Garland won his biggest game of the season in beating the club he was almost traded to four winters ago in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

The lanky right-hander went the distance, leading the White Sox to a 5-2 victory at Angels Stadium, and giving them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series that turned on a controversial umpiring call in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 2 on Wednesday night.

The Angels have had trouble putting together hits in the series. They had just four against Garland and are hitting .174 (16 for 92) with six runs scored in the series.

The White Sox’s pitching has had something to do with the Angels’ offensive problems.

Jose Contreras pitched well in a losing effort in Game 1. Mark Buehrle was masterful with a complete-game effort in Game 2. Garland, who showed no rust after not pitching in 13 days, was equally as impressive.

“This is nothing we haven’t seen all year from these guys,” said White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who drove in three runs. “They’re the reason we’re here. All five of our starters at one point this season have been aces.”

Only a sixth-inning homer by Orlando Cabrera stood between Garland and a shutout. He walked just one and struck out seven.

“He pitched real well for us all year,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “But I think this was his best.”

Garland had the luxury of a three-run lead before even taking the mound.

Konerko capped a three-run first inning and quieted the big crowd of 44,725 with a two-run homer off losing pitcher John Lackey.

“When we score first early in the game, we always seem to play better baseball,” Guillen said. “That set the tone for us.”

As expected, Angels fans had a, ahem, warm welcome for the umpires when they took the field.

Doug Eddings, the 37-year-old New Mexican who was behind the plate for the controversial call that helped the White Sox pull off a 2-1 win in Game 2, was booed loudly when he was introduced.

He was booed again when he trotted out to work the right-field line.

Even though Angels manager Mike Scioscia urged fans to “move on and enjoy the game,” some just couldn’t let Eddings off the hook. One fan held a sign that said “Angels 1, Umpires 1.”

Guillen wasn’t living in the past, either. His only concern was the Game 3.

The White Sox ran into four outs on the bases in the first two games of the series, but Guillen promised his club wouldn’t back off from putting pressure on the Angels’ defense.

Right out of the chute, the White Sox went into the business of manufacturing a run.

Scott Podsednik led off the game with a single, moved to second on Tadahito Iguchi’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Jermaine Dye’s single.

Two batters later, Konerko swatted a hanging breaking ball over the left-field wall as the White Sox took a 3-0 lead.

The Sox built their lead to 5-0 on RBI singles by Carl Everett in the third and Konerko in the fifth.

Garland protected the lead nicely, pitching two-hit, shutout ball through five, before the Angels struck for a pair of runs on Cabrera’s two-out, two-run homer in the sixth.

All three White Sox starters have gone at least eight innings in the series. Tonight, the Sox send Freddy Garcia to the mound against Ervin Santana.

Game 5 will be Sunday in Los Angeles. Game 6, if necessary, will shift to Chicago on Tuesday.

“They’ve gotten incredible starting pitching,” Scioscia said. “We knew we were going to have a challenge playing the White Sox with anybody they’re going to give the ball to on a given day. We need to do some things to get into our game. It’s a challenge.”

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White Sox 5, Angels 2

CHICAGO LEADS SERIES 2-1

a-grounded out for Rivera in the 8th. LOB—Chicago 6, Los Angeles 1. 2B—Iguchi (1), Dye (1), Erstad (1). HR—OCabrera (1), off Garland; Konerko (1), off Lackey. RBIs—Dye (2), Konerko 3 (3), CEverett (1), OCabrera 2 (3). S—Iguchi. GIDP—Rowand, VGuerrero. Runners left in scoring position—Chicago 2 (Iguchi, CEverett). DP—Chicago 1 (Iguchi and Konerko); Los Angeles 2 (OCabrera and AKennedy), (OCabrera and Erstad).

Gregg pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored—Donnelly 2-0. T—2:42. A—44,725 (45,037).