DETROIT – Bengie Molina’s three-run double capped a six-run third inning and John Lackey won for the third time in four starts in the Los Angeles Angels’ 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

Los Angeles hadn’t scored more than five runs since beating Oakland 9-5 on April 23, a span of 18 games.

Lackey (4-2) took advantage of the offense and allowed only three runs and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings. He walked a season-high five batters.

Nate Robertson (1-3) took the loss, allowing six runs – only one earned – on five hits and two walks in three innings.

The Angels broke open the game in the third, helped by poor Tigers defense.

After Adam Kennedy’s leadoff single, Robertson made a bad throw – allowing Chone Figgins to reach first. Darin Erstad grounded into a force at second, and Vladimir Guerrero followed with an RBI single.

Garrett Anderson grounded to first, but Carlos Pena’s throw to the plate was too late to get Erstad.

After a strikeout, Orlando Cabrera made it 3-0 with a single to center. Robb Quinlan walked to load the bases for Molina, who doubled down the left-field line.

Juan Rivera added a three-run homer off Matt Ginter in the fourth, his first of the season, to push Los Angeles’ lead to 9-0.

The Tigers got a run in the fifth on Omar Infante’s RBI double, but another mistake killed the rally. With no one out and runners on second and third, Nook Logan hit a grounder to Erstad at first. Erstad stepped on the bag, then ran across the diamond to tag Infante, who had broken for third while Pena never moved.

Detroit lost another runner in the next inning when Carlos Guillen was thrown out trying to stretch a double.

Craig Monroe’s RBI double made it 9-2 in the seventh, and Jason Smith added a run-scoring single in the eighth.

Notes: Two Detroit starters left the game with injuries. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez was forced out in the third inning with a bruised left big toe after being hit by a foul tip while catching. DH Dmitri Young left in the seventh after twisting his left ankle while beating out an infield single. X-rays on both were negative and they are day to day. … Guillen extended his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games. … Chris Spurling pitched the ninth for Detroit, his first major-league appearance since 2003.

AP-ES-05-15-05 1543EDT