Ace Moves in Angel Win

This is more like it.

The Angels paid money, lots of money, to assemble a dominant team this season. They looked the part Tuesday, at least for one night, with reason to believe there could be many more nights like this one.

With Bartolo Colon finally resembling an ace and the Angels finally fielding a varsity lineup, this could be a very good team indeed. Colon overpowered the Oakland Athletics, Chone Figgins tripled and doubled to spark a revived offense, and the Angels sent another sellout crowd at Angel Stadium home happy after a 6-1 victory.

“Hopefully, I ask God, this is the beginning for this ballclub,” Colon said through interpreter Jose Mota.

The Angels dropped the A’s into third place in the American League West. The Texas Rangers -- who knew? -- lead the Angels by one-half game and the A’s by one.

The Angels have sold out 22 of 36 home games this season, with tickets in short supply because of the promise of an offense led by the $70-million man, Vladimir Guerrero, and a pitching staff led by the $51-million man, Colon.

Guerrero has more than done his part. He drove in two more runs Tuesday, and he leads the league in runs scored and runs batted in.

The Angels have scored 16 runs in two games against the team with the best earned-run average in the league.

Colon has done next to nothing all season, but Tuesday he displayed the form that persuaded the Angels to spend so heavily on him. For the first time in 10 starts, he did not give up a home run. For the first time in eight starts, he won.

“He knows he’s capable of being the lead dog on a staff and going out and shutting down good clubs,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We know he will. Tonight was a good step forward for him.”

He retired the first 11 hitters. He carried a one-hitter into the seventh. And, when the A’s snapped his shutout with three singles in the eighth inning -- the last on a 94-mph fastball -- he departed to a loud standing ovation. In all, he gave up five hits in 7 2/3 innings, walking none and striking out six.

“I was asking, Lord, help me do a better job,” Colon said. “I want to give the fans all the love they have given me since I got here.”

After a rash of injuries, the Angels can once again field a first-string lineup. The exception is at third base, where Troy Glaus is expected to miss the season following shoulder surgery.

Glaus led the Angels in home runs at the time of his injury. Figgins has replaced him with an entirely different dimension --speed, more than perhaps any player in the league.

“He’s just instant offense,” Scioscia said. “For a guy without a lot of power, it’s incredible what he can create.”

On a night the Angels did not hit a home run but did score on a squeeze -- by shortstop David Eckstein -- Figgins led a pesky attack against Oakland ace Tim Hudson. The Angels tagged Hudson with the loss by scoring five runs in five innings against him, on seven hits and three walks.

Figgins reached base three times, scoring twice, once after a triple and once on a sacrifice fly to not-very-deep right field. He’s hitting .309. He has a league-leading 11 triples, two shy of the franchise record.

If Glaus looked nice behind Guerrero and Anderson, Figgins might look even nicer in front of them.

“Figgins has done a fantastic job stepping in and creating havoc,” Eckstein said. “You need that kind of player, especially in our lineup. You have to get on base for the big boys.”