Parrish’s Home Run Beats Ryan

Lance Parrish said the best thing about batting against Nolan Ryan on Monday night was seeing a lot of fastballs.

Those fastballs accounted for 11 strikeouts, but Parrish got a good look at one in the seventh inning and hit a two-run homer that helped the Angels beat Ryan and the Texas Rangers, 3-2.

“If you swing enough times you can catch up to it,” Parrish said of Ryan’s fastball. “I felt like I was on his fastball. I felt sooner or later I’d catch up to one. I didn’t hit it good, but it got out.”

Ryan held the Angels hitless for 5 2/3 innings and lost despite pitching a four-hitter. The 43-year-old Ryan (13-8) took over the major league strikeout lead with 221 but was beaten by Mark Langston (10-16), who gave up four hits in 8 1/3 innings.

Ryan struck out Brian Downing and Dave Winfield to start the seventh but walked Lee Stevens, who stole second before Parrish hit his 22nd home run on a 2-2 pitch. Ryan has yielded only 12 runs in his last six starts but is 1-1 over that stretch.

“Nolie was overpowering,” Angel Manager Doug Rader said. “Fortunately, Mark did a tremendous job of getting out of a bases-loaded situation (in the fourth) and Devon White made a super catch in the fifth (leaping against the wall to pull down Ruben Sierra’s drive with a man on first). I thought that ball was 10 rows deep.”

Langston, 5-1 in his past eight starts in a season to forget, struck out eight and walked seven. He left after Rafael Palmeiro hit his 14th home run with one out in the ninth.

Bryan Harvey yielded a hit and a walk before nailing down his 24th save and 66th of his career, a club record. Dave LaRoche held the old mark of 65.