Angels Powered by Parrish - Baseball: Catcher drives in three runs, hits sixth home run in 12 games to fuel 4-1 victory over White Sox.

The last time Lance Parrish was in so smooth a home-run groove, the 34-year-old catcher said with a smile, was “many moons ago.”

The last time the Angels had clear possession of third place in the American League West wasn’t that long ago, but they would not be climbing in the standings--or above .500--without Parrish’s recent surge.

Parrish drove in three runs Monday, two with his sixth home run in his last 12 games, to back a gritty eight-inning effort by Jim Abbott that brought the Angels a 4-1 victory over the White Sox at Comiskey Park. In winning, they moved ahead of Minnesota and into third place, their highest perch since April 20.

“It’s significant for the fact that I hope this is a start for us,” said Parrish, who drove in the Angels’ second run with a single off starter Jack McDowell (3-4) and provided two insurance runs in the seventh by blasting a 3-and-2 changeup from Wayne Edwards into the left-field seats. The home run was Parrish’s 13th--a total he didn’t reach last season until July 22--and put him on a pace to match the career-best 33 he hit in 1984 with Detroit.

“We have to play above .500 if we’re going to catch the White Sox and the A’s,” Parrish said after the Angels extended the White Sox’ losing streak to four games. “There’s no way we’re going to win this division playing .500 ball. We’re a good club. At times we show signs of breaking loose, and then we fall into bad situations and don’t get some runs. If we get loose, the other guys had better start looking out.”

Parrish has gotten as loose at the plate in the last few weeks as he has ever been. His three RBIs Monday gave him 14 in his last 12 games and gave Abbott (4-5), who has scored all of his victories on the road, the freedom to pitch without fear that one mistake could cost him the game.

“I feel like he’s carried us,” said Abbott, who allowed seven hits and struck out six.

Parrish acknowledged that he’d like to see his success at the plate carry over into the All-Star balloting. In figures released Monday, he ranked seventh among catchers with 114,821 votes, well behind the 319,243 collected by Oakland’s Terry Steinbach.

“I must not be impressing people back home in the voting,” said Parrish, a six-time All Star.

Not true, third baseman Jack Howell assured him. “I think (Howell’s oldest son) Josh put you down,” Howell said. “Dallas (his younger son), too.”

Nice, but not nearly enough votes if Parrish, who leads the Angels with 99 total bases and is hitting .290, is to realize his hopes.

“That’s the problem with All-Star voting. Fans put down people they know,” Parrish said. “Unless you’re Wade Boggs or Dave Winfield, you’re not going to get votes.

“I guess I have to prove myself again. I’ve been inconsistent. Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to be on the team. I’d like to make it. It’s always been an honor to me. But if I don’t make it, I don’t make it.”

Abbott was hoping to make it through nine innings but could not, yielding to the stiff wind that caused his shoulder to occasionally stiffen up during the game. He showed strong resolve in pitching out of a first-and-third, two-out situation in the second, and after giving up a single to Ozzie Guillen and a double to Sammy Sosa in the third, he quashed Chicago’s rally by striking out Robin Ventura, getting Ivan Calderon to line to short and inducing Ron Kittle to ground to third.

“I just tried to simplify things, throw the ball over the plate,” said Abbott, who retired the White Sox in order three times, the most times he has done that in a game other than the seven times he retired the Indians in order in his 9 1/3-inning effort May 28.

“I don’t know that I’m quite there yet in terms of results,” Abbott said. “You work and you work and you feel like you’ve gotten better. Things go astray and you start to question yourself. You start giving hitters too much credit. That’s something I’ve tried to stay away from doing and I have to keep working on.

“I feel like I’ve improved 100% from last year. Things haven’t gone exactly the way I’d like them to go this year, but I think they’re getting better.”

Angel Notes

Home plate umpire John Hirschbeck suffered a bruised jaw after being struck by Jack McDowell’s pitch in the second inning. The ball deflected off his jaw and hit him in the chest before bouncing away, leaving him with numbness in his legs. An examination at Christ Hospital in Chicago showed no broken bones. The play was ruled a passed ball.

The game was delayed 13 minutes before second base umpire Ed Hickox took over behind the plate, and play resumed with a 3-and-2 count on Dick Schofield.

The only other Angel among the leaders at his position in All-Star ballotting is first baseman Wally Joyner, who is eighth at 89,001. Oakland’s Mark McGwire leads with 442,211 votes.

Although Brian Downing began his career with the White Sox and spent parts of five seasons playing in Comiskey Park, he’s not sorry that it will be razed at the end of the season.

“I won’t miss it,” said Downing, who has hit 21 of his 238 career home runs at Comiskey. “The background is so poor for hitters and the outfield was always wet. The way they do the drainage here, it seems water always accumulated in right field when I played right field here.”

But he will never forget Comiskey. “The first pitch of my first game, I dived for a foul ball and destroyed my knee,” he said. “That’s my primary memory. That and getting the hell out of here.”

Luis Polonia, who led off and played left field after starting only two of the previous five games, walked three times to match his total for the season. “It’s a record,” Polonia said. “I used to get three a year, not three in one game. I’m getting better.”

White Sox Manager Jeff Torborg missed Monday’s game in order to attend his son’s high school graduation. First base coach Ron Clark was the interim manager. . . . Minnie Minoso, the only player to play in five decades, has the White Sox’ approval to appear in a game in September in order to play in a sixth decade. However, his plan could be derailed if the White Sox are still in the pennant race.