After BP scuffle, Texas shut out

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Bartolo Colon combined with two relievers on a one-hitter, and the Anaheim Angels beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 Tuesday night after the teams scuffled during batting practice.

Colon pitched seven dominant innings to win his fourth consecutive start, and Texas' only hit was a clean, ground single through the left side by Michael Young on a 3-1 pitch with two outs in the third.

Before the game, a fight broke out between Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy and Rangers catcher Gerald Laird, a carry-over from their dispute the night before.

Laird thought Kennedy intentionally tried to get hit by one of Ryan Drese's pitches with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning of Texas' 6-1 victory Monday night, and said something to Kennedy when he came up again in the fifth.

Kennedy was standing behind the batting cage Tuesday and was approached by Laird as the Angels were concluding BP and the Rangers were finishing their pregame stretching. Moments later, the two were in a tussle that spilled over to the warning track between home plate and the first base dugout.

Soon every player from each team was involved, with players pushing, shoving and grabbing each other before order was restored approximately four minutes later. It was unclear whether any punches were thrown.

"I'm surprised. It was stupid, to be honest. But it was fun, though," Texas outfielder Brian Jordan said.

The skirmish nearly overshadowed Colon's best outing since joining the Angels last December as a free agent.

Colon (9-8) got all eight of his strikeouts in the first 3 1-3 innings, cutting Texas' AL West lead to 1½ games over Oakland. He lost six of seven decisions before this winning streak -- during which his ERA is 1.67.

Colon walked two and came out after 95 pitches. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect eighth, and Troy Percival got three straight outs for his 299th career save and 16th in 20 attempts this season.

The one-hitter was the first by the Angels since May 26, 1989, when Chuck Finley beat Boston 5-0 at Fenway Park. The last team to throw a one-hitter against the Rangers was Oakland, beating them 10-0 behind Cory Lidle's complete game on July 19, 2002, at Oakland.

Texas right-hander Nick Regilio, making his first major league start, allowed two runs, five hits and three walks in five innings while striking out four. Regilio took over in the rotation for Ricardo Rodriguez, whose season ended last Thursday when a line drive by Anaheim's Robb Quinlan broke his elbow.

Vladimir Guerrero, back in the Angels' lineup after missing three games with a bruised right hand, singled with two outs in the fourth and came all the way around with the first run on Jose Guillen's double off the wall in right-center. Quinlan added an RBI single after an intentional walk to Darin Erstad.

The inning ended with center fielder Laynce Nix making a fully extended, backhanded, diving grab of Jose Molina's drive just in front of the warning track. The catch was so sensational, Nix received a standing ovation from the crowd of 42,625 -- most of whom were decked out in Angels red.

Anaheim had a chance to break the game open in the sixth, loading the bases with none one out against Joaquin Benoit. But the right-hander, reinstated from the bereavement list Monday after attending the funeral of his grandmother in the Dominican Republic, struck out Quinlan, Molina and Kennedy on 12 pitches.

Game notes
Colon has given up 28 home runs, tying him with Seattle's Jamie Moyer for the most in the majors. The Rangers entered the night leading the majors with 150 homers. ... Texas RF Gary Matthews Jr. charged Tim Salmon's two-out single in the fifth and erased Chone Figgins at third as he tried to advance two bases. Figgins returned the favor in the sixth with a diving grab of Rod Barajas' sinking liner to center field.