Angels Find Boskie Comes in Handy

Shawn Boskie picked up a save and a victory in the same game Friday at Anaheim Stadium.

Wait, don’t check the box score just yet. Boskie’s save, although very real as far as bailing out the Angels, won’t appear there. The victory--unlikely as it seemed at times--is, however.

It was the second time this week the Angels made a frantic call to Boskie to get them out of a fix. He filled in as Sunday’s starter after Mark Langston couldn’t go because of knee trouble. Friday’s situation was just as dire.

Having lost four consecutive to the light-hitting Kansas City Royals, the Angels found themselves down and out, 4-0, before coming to bat against the defending American League champion Cleveland Indians.

That the Angels rallied for four runs in their half of the first inning seemed only a slight consolation because starter Dennis Springer continued to struggle in the second.

The call went out to Boskie, who didn’t stop the flood of baserunners immediately, but at least slowed it to a trickle by the fifth inning. The Angels wrestled the lead away from the Indians by then.

Boskie did the rest, pitching six solid innings, giving up three runs and seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

“That was very satisfying to get through that, to get to the seventh inning because that game could have really come crashing down,” said Boskie, 4-0. “I feel fortunate to get through that.”

Thanks in part to Boskie, the Angels snapped their four-game losing streak with a 13-8 victory over Cleveland in front of 23,522 at Anaheim Stadium.

Certainly, Boskie could be the answer to the Angels’ need for a starter to replace Langston, who is expected to be sidelined up to two months after undergoing surgery Wednesday.

With a victory Sunday, 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against Kansas City Thursday and Friday’s fine outing, Boskie appears to have earned a shot to start.

He can’t be any worse than Springer, whose earned-run average is 16.88. Or tonight’s starter Scott Sanderson, 0-1 with an 8.74 ERA.

Then again, the Angels might be better off leaving Boskie in the bullpen. Boskie’s ERA working in long relief is 2.97 in six appearances. In three starts, his ERA is 6.50.

“Just turn back the pages in your notebooks,” Boskie said. “It’s all the same reasons.”

What he said a few days ago was this: “When I come out of the bullpen, I feel stronger and I just let it fly for a couple of innings. I don’t think it’s bad. I just want to feel like I can contribute to the team on a consistent basis.”

Friday, he said: “When they told me I was going to the bullpen, I was disappointed. At the same time, I knew I would be able to help the ballclub because I’ve pitched well out of the bullpen.”

Manager Marcel Lachemann said Boskie will remain in the bullpen for now.

“He’s helped us win four games,” Lachemann said. “And none of them was a fluke. It wasn’t one of those two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen. He earned them.”