Big Way to End Figgins’ Big Day

BALTIMORE —  It’s not easy carrying a major league baseball team on your shoulders when you’re all of 5 feet 8 and 155 pounds, but Angel utility player Chone Figgins could qualify for one of those World’s Strongest Man competitions after his performance Friday night.

Figgins almost single-handedly kept the Angels from suffering what would have been their most embarrassing loss in years when he capped a five-hit, six-run-batted-in game with a two-out run-scoring single in the top of the 10th inning to lift the Angels to a pulsating 10-9 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in front of 38,232 in Camden Yards.

Figgins’ RBI triple in the first inning and grand slam -- his first career home run -- in the second helped stake the Angels to a seemingly insurmountable 9-0 advantage, but with ace Bartolo Colon on the mound and one of baseball’s best bullpens in reserve, the Angels coughed up the entire lead.

Colon gave up Javy Lopez’s solo home run in the fourth, four more runs in the fifth, then left because of lower-back stiffness; Kevin Gregg gave up a solo homer to Melvin Mora in the seventh; and closer Troy Percival was torched for three runs in the ninth, his second blown save in four days.

But Angel second baseman Adam Kennedy singled with one out in the 10th off Oriole closer Jorge Julio, stole second and scored when Figgins stroked an opposite-field single to left. Baltimore left fielder B.J. Surhoff appeared to have a good chance to cut down Kennedy, but his throw was off-line, and Kennedy scored standing up.

“I’ve never had a grand slam, I’ve never had five hits in a game, and I’ve never had six RBIs in a game,” said Figgins, who added singles in the third and eighth innings and was a double short of hitting for the cycle.

“But the important thing is I didn’t want to lose, regardless of what I did. We had two tough losses in New York this week, and to lose this game after the way we started would have been tough.”

The Angels’ 17th win in 21 games included some tense moments in the bottom of the 10th. Jay Gibbons opened with a single off Angel reliever Scot Shields’ foot, and Luis Matos dropped a bunt to Shields’ left.

Shields fielded the ball and, with his momentum carrying him toward first, made an off-balance, one-hop throw to second that was dug out by shortstop David Eckstein, who kicked the bag for the forceout a split second before Gibbons arrived.

“Eck picked me up big time,” Shields said. “As soon as the ball left my hands, my heart was racing, and I was thinking, ‘That was a stupid play.’ I should have went to first. But it ended up working

Matos took second on the errant pitch, but Shields got Surhoff to fly to left and Jerry Hairston to pop to second to end the game for his third save.

Oddly enough, Percival was credited with the win.

“I don’t feel like I earned it,” Percival said.

Percival hung a curve to Matos, who ripped a leadoff homer in the ninth to left. Two outs later, Brian Roberts singled, and Percival threw an 0-and-2 curve to Mora, who singled to advance Roberts to third.

Roberts stole second, and Miguel Tejada blooped a two-run, game-tying single to center. After an intentional walk to Rafael Palmeiro and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, Percival got Lopez to ground to Eckstein, who made a backhand stop and threw out Lopez to end the inning.

Manager Mike Scioscia tried to soften Percival’s fall by saying the veteran right-hander’s velocity was excellent, that he just missed a few spots. “He had his best stuff,” Scioscia said.

“That’s because he didn’t have a bat in his hands,” Percival countered, not buying his manager’s assessment. “My arm strength is great. I’m just in a funk mechanically where I’m not hitting spots or throwing my breaking ball well. But I’ve had way worse streaks. I’ve always worked things out on the side. I’ll find it.”

What a find the speedy Figgins has been for the Angels. Acquired in a 2001 deal with Colorado for Kimera Bartee, Figgins has been playing regularly in place of several injured Angels for three weeks and is now batting .341 with five doubles, an American League-leading six triples and 20 runs.

He provided the key blow of the second, lofting a Kurt Ainsworth pitch over the high wall in right for a grand slam and his first big league home run.

“I’ve never hit a grand slam ever,” Figgins said. “When I first hit it, I didn’t think it was gone ... and I didn’t realize it was a grand slam until I touched home plate and saw all those people there.”