ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- The Anaheim Angels gave Bartolo Colon a

$51-million contract to be their ace. So far, he's coming through.

Colon shut down the Texas Rangers for eight innings, allowing

two runs and seven hits in a 7-2 victory on Sunday.

The Anaheim pitching staff had allowed 24 runs in losing the

first two games of the series to Texas.

"That's a guy who can put the brakes on a skid," Angels

manager Mike Scioscia said. "Bartolo did a great job against what

is really the league's hottest lineup right now. He gives us a

chance to win every time out. He was terrific."

Vladimir Guerrero led off the sixth with his second homer as

Anaheim's two prized free agent acquisitions helped the Angels snap

the Rangers' three-game winning streak.

Colon (2-0) recovered after allowing hits to the first two

Rangers. He struck out five and walked one, allowing just one

earned run to provide some rest for his team's overextended

bullpen.

"I said before the game I felt good enough to go deep into the

game," Colon said through an interpreter. "I realized there was a

need for that because of what Texas did in the first two games. I

like that I was able to do something for the team when they really

needed me and Texas is really hot."

Texas took a 1-0 lead in the first on Hank Blalock's RBI single

after Michael Young led off the game with a double. Colon then

settled down to retire nine of the next 10 batters while his

teammates were giving him the lead with a three-run second.

"When you give him a few runs, he turns it up a notch,"

Anaheim's Adam Kennedy said. "He's fun to play behind. He works

fast, he goes after hitters, and he works hard."

Colon remained strong on a raw afternoon. The game time

temperature was an unseasonably chilly 52 degrees, the result of an

overnight cold front. Light rain began in the fifth and kept

falling steadily the rest of the afternoon, making the mound

slippery.

"Sometimes the conditions are going to be against you, whether

it's the crowd or the weather," Scioscia said. "He came in

focused and pitched his game. That's why we gave him the ball on

opening day. He came in and gave us what we needed when the bullpen

was stressed."

Francisco Rodriguez handled the ninth for Anaheim after Colon

had thrown 104 pitches, 73 for strikes. Colon said victories, not

complete games, are his goal.

"I still have 30-plus starts," said Colon, who lowered his ERA

to 0.69. "I felt good, but this was only my second start. There's

no sense pushing it."

David Eckstein, Troy Glaus, Jose Guillen and Tim Salmon had two

hits each for the Angels.

Chan Ho Park (0-2) gave up six runs and 10 hits over six-plus

innings for the Rangers. Park, who made only seven starts for the

Rangers due to injuries last season, struck out five and walked

one.

"He pitched eight innings his first time out and six today,"

Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. "We're happy he's pitching

better than last year. But our tempo wasn't good today and that had

a lot to do with the Angels."

Kevin Mench was 3-for-4 with two doubles for the Rangers.

Salmon and Molina had RBI singles in a three-run second.

David Dellucci's sacrifice fly in the fourth for Texas cut the

lead to 3-2.

But the Angels opened a three-run sixth with four straight hits,

starting with Guerrero's solo blast. Guillen added an RBI single.

Kennedy's RBI single in the eighth extended Anaheim's lead to

7-2.Game notes
Glaus got a tight left hamstring while running the bases in

the eighth on the muddy infield and was removed from the game. But

Glaus said after the game he expected to play on Monday night

against Texas. ...The Rangers have scored first in five of their

six games. ...Blalock had reached base six straight times before

striking out in the third.