Dickson Start Knocks Angels’ Sox Off, 7-3

More than a year since the injury and the surgery that took a year from the prime of his career, Jason Dickson took the baseball again and started over.

At the tail end of a rotation roundly panned for its youth and lack of depth, Dickson, the former all-star, is a required presence if the Angels are to be anything more than fodder for the large markets. On Friday night, in his first start since August 1998, Dickson suggested that he could be all there again, and the dim early season reviews brightened a little.

The Angels defeated the Boston Red Sox, 7-3, before 30,412 at Edison Field, in part because Dickson gave up two runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. On a regular-season mound for the first time since recovering from Dr. Lewis Yocum’s handiwork on his pitching shoulder, Dickson changed speeds, moved his fastball and shut out the Red Sox on two hits in his first six innings.

Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus homered and Gary DiSarcina delivered a critical two-run double in support of Dickson’s first win since July 12, 1998.

Five days after a Cal State Fullerton lineup had its way with him, Dickson was poised and effective against the team Sports Illustrated picked to topple the New York Yankees. While it is mystifying the lengths a publication will go to generate sales, it is a fair bet that the magazine cover held no bearing with Dickson.

He gave up only one hit, a double to Troy O’Leary with one out in the second, in his first trip through the order, and only a double to Trot Nixon his second time through.

Carl Everett homered to start the seventh, and with two out and one on, Dickson was replaced by Kent Mercker. Afterward, an elated Dickson stood in the hallway leading to the clubhouse and patted shoulders and shook hands.

“This is definitely up there, a highlight of a career,” Dickson said. “You can battle against hitters and battle against teams. It’s a whole different thing when you’re battling injury. It’s worth every hour of rehab I put in. It definitely is.”

While waiting for his velocity to return, Dickson learned to lean on his changeup and curveball, and might one day be a better pitcher because of it.

“I had to learn to pitch with an 84-, 85-mph fastball,” he said.

It was better than that against the Red Sox, but it was more notable for its location.

“I felt like I kept them off balance pretty well,” he said.

The Angels have gone once through their short rotation (rookie Ramon Ortiz is scheduled to join in Tuesday) and the predicted Armageddon has yet to arrive.

The starters’ earned-run average against the Yankees was a manageable 4.76, and Dickson had few troubles with the Red Sox, who batted .240 in losing two of three this week in Seattle. A full cycle--Ken Hill, Kent Bottenfield, Scott Schoeneweiss and Dickson--has the starting ERA at 4.18. A full season of that will far exceed expectations everywhere but inside the Angel clubhouse.

“These guys are about where I thought they’d be,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “I think they all have some upside still. Jason’s got some more in him.”

With Dickson on his game, the Angels scored three first-inning runs against Boston starter Pete Schourek (0-1), all on Garret Anderson’s first home run. Schourek threw a first-pitch strike then four consecutive balls to Tim Salmon to put runners at first and third, then tried to rediscover the strike zone by pumping an 86-mph fastball through the middle of it.

Anderson flicked his wrists and had his first homer, a 407-footer into the bleachers in right-center field. Adam Kennedy, who banked a double off first baseman Brian Daubach’s mitt with one out, scored ahead of Salmon and Anderson.

The Angels led, 3-0.

Anderson had little to do with an offense that averaged nearly six runs in the three-game series with the Yankees. He was two for 13, a start that included one hit--a single--in 12 at-bats against right-handers.

The coaches hardly worry about Anderson. He has batted within six points of .300 in each of the past three seasons, and his career average was right at .300 before Orlando Hernandez, Roger Clemens and David Cone arrived.

The Angels took a 6-0 lead in the sixth inning, on DiSarcina’s one-out double and Mo Vaughn’s RBI groundout. Red Sox Manager Jimy Williams intentionally walked Kennedy, the No. 2 hitter, to load the bases in front of Vaughn.