"The pitch before he hit a go-ahead, bases-loaded, two-out double, Angels right fielder Bobby Abreu was hoping he didn't get called out looking on strike three.

Texas reliever Darren Oliver threw a 2-2 cutter just low and caused Abreu to take a mental sigh of relief.

"I just thought, 'Woooo! that was close,'" Abreu said. "I was hoping not to be called out on strikes, because it could have gone either way."

Abreu hit Oliver's next pitch, a breaking ball, to right field for a three-run double in the sixth inning that gave the Angels all the runs they needed in a 6-5 victory over the Rangers in front of 38,514 at Angel Stadium.

Abreu's double scored Jeff Mathis, Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick, capped a four-run rally that started with two outs and ruined Vladimir Guerrero's return to Angel Stadium. The victory put the Angels (44-35) 3 1/2 games behind the Rangers (46-30) in the American League West standings.

"It was a big hit by Bobby," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Darren Oliver is throwing as well as any reliever in the American League right now and Bobby hung in there until he was able to find something to hit."

The rally started with the Angels down 3-2 and Kevin Frandsen singling to center. Frandsen then moved to second on a wild pitch by Rangers starter Scott Feldman (5-7). Mathis hit a sharp single past Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus to bring in Frandsen. Feldman was relieved after giving up another single to Aybar.

"Everyone stepped it up," Scioscia said. "Franny, Mathis, even Howie Kendrick had a great at-bat to draw the walk and load up the bases for Bobby."

Mike Napoli hit a solo home run, his team-leading 14 th, in the fourth inning while Aybar hustled home from first on a Kendrick single in the first inning for the other Angels runs.

Torii Hunter saved the day in the eighth with a running catch of Julio Borbon's fly ball with one out and two runners on. Borbon hit a long fly to right-center and Hunter, who was shallow and shading to left-center, sprinted 100 feet to make the catch and help Angels reliever Fernando Rodney get out of the jam unscathed.

"I felt like I was 25 out there," the 34-year-old Hunter said. "After I caught the ball I felt 34 again, but all I was thinking out there is that I have to get to that ball."

The heroics of Abreu and Hunter took away from a smashing return for Guerrero, who played the previous six seasons with the Angels. The crowd gave Guerrero a standing ovation and the organization played a highlight montage for him after the first inning.

Guerrero did his part by going 2 for 4 with a third-inning sacrifice fly and a towering two-run home run in the seventh off Kevin Jepsen to bring Texas to within 6-5."