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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Bengie Molina refers to his homers as
accidents.
The Anaheim rookie had a major "accident" Friday night,
slugging the first grand slam in the Angels' 12-4 victory over the
Colorado Rockies.
Troy Glaus homered twice, including a three-run shot, and Ramon
Ortiz held Colorado to three runs on five hits over eight innings
as the Rockies' losing streak reached five games.
|  | | Troy Glaus receives congratulations after hitting one of his two homers Friday. |
"It was a great feeling for me," Molina said. "I always
wondered when I would hit my first grand slam, wondered, `Where is
it?' It was awesome."
Molina said he was simply trying to hit the ball to the outfield
so the Angels could get a run. Instead, he hit reliever Scott
Karl's first pitch over the left-field wall in the fifth inning.
"I don't try to hit home runs, that's why I say they are
accidents," said Molina, whose last 16 hits include eight homers.
Meanwhile, Glaus, given the previous night off by manager Mike
Scioscia and mired in a 1-for-29 slump, led off the second inning
with a home run off Kevin Jarvis. The Angels third baseman added
his 25th homer, a three-run shot, in the sixth off reliever Scott
Karl.
"You can't hit two balls much harder than he did," Scioscia
said of Glaus' homers, the first a line drive that went 395 feet,
the second a towering shot that sailed 465 feet.
Glaus said he had no idea why he broke out of his slump with
such powerful shots.
"That's just the way it works. Everybody is going to struggle.
Just because I got two hits today doesn't mean I won't get zero
tomorrow. I'll try not to, but that's just the way this game is,"
he said.
Glaus, just named to his first All-Star game, tied Leon Wagner
for most homers ever by an Angels player heading into the break.
Wagner had 25 at the before the 1962 All-Star game, but just 12 the
rest of the season.
Colorado slugger Larry Walker said of Glaus: "We see enough of
him. He kicks the heck out of us in spring training, too. He's a
big strong kid and he can play some defense, too. He deserves to be
going to the All-Star game."
Ortiz (3-2), hastily recalled from the minors a day earlier when
Tim Belcher went on the disabled list, allowed three runs on five
hits over eight innings.
Following the game, he was sent back to Triple-A Edmonton, with
the Angels recalling pitcher Seth Etherton from Edmonton to join
their bullpen.
After Jarvis (2-4) walked Glaus to load the bases with one out
in the fifth, Molina hit his 10th homer of the year to give the
Angels a 9-3 pad.
Mo Vaughn went 3-for-4 and scored three runs and Garret Anderson
drove in two runs for the Angels.
Ortiz, sent to Edmonton after giving up eight runs in 3 2/3
innings against Oakland on May 8, struck out four and walked two in
the win over the Rockies.
Colorado's runs came on Todd Helton's RBI groundout in the first
and Neifi Perez's RBI triple in the fifth, followed by Tom
Goodwin's RBI groundout.
The Rockies lost five in a row for the first time since last
Aug. 6-10, when they also went through a five-game slide.
"It's not fun," Walker said of the skid. "Five days ago, we
were in first place. I don't know if we've got the possibility now
of being in third at the break, but it's a tough little dive we're
taking right now."
Jarvis gave up eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He
walked three, hit a batter and struck out three.
Game notes
Belcher was suspended for three games and fined Friday for
arguing with an umpire during a June 27 game in Seattle. Belcher,
who is 2-2 with a 9.69 ERA and is currently on the disabled list,
is appealing the suspension. ... Glaus, Anderson and Vaughn are the
first Angels trio ever to have 20 or more homers by the All-Star
break. In addition to Glaus' club-high 25, Anderson has 24 and
Vaughn 22. The last major league team to have three players with 20
homers by the break were the Rockies in 1997, with Walker at 25,
Vinny Castilla 22 and Andres Galarraga 22.
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