SAN FRANCISCO — One minute the Angels were basking in the frivolity of a seven-run inning, cracking up as pitcher John Lackey stood on first base and called for the game ball after his first hit in 27 career big league at-bats and high-fiving each other after Erick Aybar and Bobby Abreu hit back-to-back homers.
The next minute they stood in stunned silence, jaws dropped, as their most valuable player, the player they can least afford to lose, Torii Hunter, crumpled on the warning track, writhing in pain after another violent collision with an outfield wall, this one in AT&T Park.
One minute, the Angels were on the verge of a lopsided win, with a five-run lead, two out and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The next minute, they were calling on closer Brian Fuentes to nail down the final out of a 9-7 interleague victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Just another manic Monday for the Angels, who extended their win streak to four and moved to within two games of the Texas Rangers in the American League West but had to squirm their way through parts of the evening.
Lackey gave up three runs and 10 hits in seven innings and struck out 10 to improve to 2-2, and Juan Rivera and Sean Rodriguez also hit home runs for the Angels, who banged out 16 hits and have now scored 35 runs with 55 hits, including 13 homers, in their last four games.
But when reliever Kevin Jepsen gave up a three-run homer to Pablo Sandoval in the ninth, Manager Mike Scioscia summoned Fuentes, who got Rich Aurilia to fly to right for his 17th save.
"We needed every one of those hits," Scioscia said. "We did a good job in the batter's box, but we kind of limped home."
Especially Hunter, who suffered a contusion to his ribs, which will probably sideline him for a game or two, and still seemed a little dazed afterward.
"I'm fine, I'll be OK, but I'm really liking those meds right now," said Hunter, whose ribs were wrapped in a compression sleeve. "I think I'm kind of high."
Hunter had led off the fourth inning with a single, sparking a rally that included Robb Quinlan's two-run double, Mike Napoli's RBI double, Lackey's RBI single (capping a 10-pitch at-bat), Aybar's two-run homer and Abreu's solo shot.
Six of the runs and six of the seven hits in the inning came off Giants starter Barry Zito, and the seven runs were the most the Angels have scored in an inning this season.
