Peter Bourjos lifts Angels over the Mets, 4-3

Reporting from New York

As much as the Angels have struggled on offense — they scored three runs or less in 11 of 14 games through Wednesday — the last thing Manager Mike Scioscia wanted to do was take his best hitter out of the lineup against the New York Mets on Friday night.

But one look at the expansive outfield in Citi Field was all Scioscia needed to start the speedy and athletic Peter Bourjos in center, a decision that pushed 37-year-old Bobby Abreu, who is hitting .407 since May 29, to the bench.

The center field wall in Citi Field is 408 feet away from home. The gap in left-center is 384 feet away, and the gap in right-center juts out to 415 feet at one point.

“This might be the most spacious outfield going,” Scioscia said. “This is one of those fields where we can take advantage of our athleticism, where it could make a difference.”

Bourjos made his manager look very wise, adding to his growing highlight-reel resume with a leaping catch of Ronny Paulino’s drive as he crashed into the left-center field wall to lead off the sixth.

But his contributions weren’t limited to defense. Bourjos also knocked in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the top of the sixth to help the Angels to a 4-3 interleague victory over the Mets.

“When you can get a hit with runners in scoring position, it’s always good, because I haven’t done too well in those situations,” Bourjos said. “But I love taking hits away from people in the outfield. You take momentum from the other team and put it on your side. Your team gets pumped up.”

Bourjos’ two-way play and a white-knuckle save by Jordan Walden, who walked the first two batters of the ninth before striking out three-four-five hitters Carlos Beltran, Daniel Murphy and Angel Pagan on sliders, preserved starter Joel Pineiro’s 100th career win.

Right fielder Torii Hunter, who had two hits in his previous 23 at-bats, singled three times, including an opposite-field RBI hit off hard-throwing reliever Bobby Parnell that gave the Angels a 4-2 lead in the seventh.

Hunter won nine Gold Glove Awards as a center fielder before moving to right to accommodate Bourjos last August. As much as it wounded Hunter’s pride at the time, plays like the one Bourjos made Friday night remind Hunter it was a good move.

“Peter Bourjos, man, that was a great catch, and Vernon Wells made a nice play [sprinting in to catch Beltran’s bloop in the seventh],” Hunter said. “I was out there in a lawn chair chilling. It’s a big outfield. Let those guys run.”

Where did Friday night’s catch rank among Bourjos’ spectacular plays?

“He’s made some great catches, but this was the most painful one — he hit that wall pretty hard,” Hunter said. “But he’s young. He still has a lot to learn, but for a guy who has a lot to work on, he doesn’t look too bad.”

Bourjos, who was hitting .196 with runners in scoring position, followed two-out singles by Howie Kendrick and Mark Trumbo in the top of the sixth with a double to left that gave the Angels a 3-2 lead.

Just before the bottom of the sixth, Wells suggested Bourjos play Paulino straight up. Bourjos had shaded toward right-center for the Mets catcher’s first two at-bats.

That extra step or two may have been the difference between a superb catch after a lengthy sprint and a leadoff double.

“I got a good jump, and the ball hung up,” Bourjos said. “I found my bearings, and I was able to get up on the wall and catch it. The wall was padded, but it didn’t move one bit. I took a good shot to the ribs, but I’m OK.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com