A secret weapon, Juan Rivera isn't. The reserve outfielder, who turns 30 today, was the Angels' second-best hitter in 2006, batting .310 with 23 home runs and 85 runs batted in before sitting out nearly all of 2007 because of a broken leg.
Then the team added Torii Hunter to an outfield already stocked with Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson and Gary Matthews Jr., and Rivera was reduced to a bit player, going into such a stealth mode he had only 63 at-bats this season through Tuesday.
But the wraps on Rivera might be coming off. Finally. With Anderson and Matthews struggling and the offense stagnant for several weeks, Manager Mike Scioscia went to his bench Wednesday, and Rivera delivered.
After knocking in a run with a second-inning fielder's-choice grounder, Rivera drove a tiebreaking two-run home run to left field in the sixth inning to catapult the Angels toward a 7-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Rivera's first homer of the season, against reliever Keith Foulke, made a winner of Joe Saunders, who gave up four runs -- two earned -- and six hits in 6 1/3 innings to improve to 12-4 and become the first Angels pitcher since Chuck Finley and Mark Langston in 1991 to win 12 games before the All-Star break.
It also set up another opportunity for closer Francisco Rodriguez, who threw a scoreless ninth for his 34th save, tying John Smoltz's major league record for most saves before the All-Star break, set in 2003. The Angels pushed their American League West lead over Oakland to 5 1/2 games.
"We're going to see if we can get him some more at-bats," Scioscia said of Rivera. "We haven't given up on the guys who are playing in front of him, but there's definitely room for a guy who is swinging the bat well to get more at-bats."
Rivera has handled his demotion professionally. He hasn't moped around the clubhouse or refused to speak to reporters. He hasn't ripped the manager or asked for a trade.
"I've stayed positive the whole time," Rivera said through an interpreter. "I understand what my role is. I knew I'd have limited opportunities, but as the season rolls along, as I get more opportunities, it's good to be part of the puzzle too."
The A's took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning on Mark Ellis' two-run single, but Hunter sparked a three-run rally in the bottom of the inning with a one-out double.
Casey Kotchman's two-out run-scoring double tied the score, 3-3, and Rivera, who has played so sporadically that he has had trouble finding his timing, crushed a two-run homer for a 5-3 lead.
