Peter Bourjos saves Angels with his glove in 5-1 win over Tigers

HRs by Hunter, Wells lead Angels past Tigers 5-1

Los Angeles Angels' center fielder Peter Bourjos crashes into the wall as he catches a fly ball hit by Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim Calif., on Monday, July 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Christine Cotter)

By Greg Beacham AP Sports Writer / July 5, 2011

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Although Torii Hunter has nine Gold Gloves in his trophy case, he's flabbergasted by the plays Peter Bourjos is making on a near-nightly basis in center field at Angel Stadium.

So is Miguel Cabrera after Bourjos robbed the Detroit slugger in back-to-back at-bats during another win for the surging Angels.

Hunter and Vernon Wells homered, Joel Pineiro yielded five hits over seven solid innings, and Los Angeles beat the Detroit Tigers 5-1 Monday night for its ninth win in 11 games.

Erick Aybar and Mark Trumbo had RBI singles for the Angels, who have surged into first place in the AL West with 14 wins in 19 games overall, winning six straight series. But the holiday crowd was most impressed by Bourjos, the rookie speedster who stole two bases while warming up for his outfield theatrics.

Bourjos made a sprinting catch at his shoetops on Cabrera's sinking liner in the fourth inning, and he brought down the house on a leaping catch with two runners on in the sixth, hitting the wall on the fly while snaring another drive from the majors' 2010 RBI leader.

"I didn't think about it," Bourjos said of his daredevil catch. "I didn't have a choice. I was going to hit that wall. ... (Cabrera) can really hit. I might have to play on the track tomorrow."

Hunter missed the Angels' past two games against the Dodgers with a bruised left hand, but connected in the first inning for his ninth homer of the season, hitting the fake rock pile beyond center field at Angel Stadium. After a decade as maybe the majors' best defensive center fielder, Hunter has ceded the position to Bourjos -- and he can't complain.

"I see it a little differently -- some good steps, some good angles," Hunter said. "With his breaks on the ball, it's like, how is he even close to that? He's always there, man."

Pineiro (4-3) walked three and managed just one strikeout, but largely avoided trouble in his fifth consecutive start without a loss. He tired in the late innings of his longest start since May 16, but the Angels' infield ended the sixth and seventh innings with double plays -- not to mention Bourjos' trouble-saving defense.Read more..