Angels Go Bottoms Up to Beat the Tigers : Baseball: Last four batters in lineup may not play regularly--except for Schofield--but they keep the basepaths buzzing.

It was the sort of inning that is infuriating to one team and invigorating to the other.

“The fourth inning, that was a joke, honestly,” Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson said. “They hit five balls--one bunt and four balls off the end of the bat--and they all fell.”

The Angels saw it differently. The four runs they scored in the fourth inning of their 7-3 victory over Detroit on Sunday at Anaheim Stadium were the day’s contribution from the bottom of the order, a group that included only one regular starter. But just because their names aren’t at the top of the lineup card, don’t think they won’t make things happen.

“ Somebody’s got to bat down there,” said Donnie Hill, who started at second base Sunday. “Everybody has confidence they can hit.”

Of the Angels’ seven runs Sunday, four were scored by the last four batters. Three were driven in by shortstop Dick Schofield, batting ninth, and another by Hill, batting seventh.

“You have to give credit to the bottom of the order today,” Manager Doug Rader said. “(Jack) Howell, Donnie and Schoey deserve a lot of credit for their performances today.”

Besides Schofield, the other three players in the bottom of Sunday’s lineup have to get their starts where they can. And when they get them, they like to make the most of them.

Howell, the starting third baseman until Gary Gaetti signed last winter, has started three games in a row at third, filling in for Gaetti, who recently underwent dental surgery.

He went two for four Sunday, scoring twice.

Howell, who was on the disabled list with a wrist injury earlier this season, is playing often against right-handers, mostly at third or second.

Hill, who singled twice, scored and drove in a a run, has long been the Angels’ jack-of-all-trades utility man, but he will probably see considerable time at second base now that Luis Sojo is playing mostly against left-handers. Hill is hitting .309; Sojo is hitting .214.

“I don’t look at it as the bottom of the order,” Hill said. “Geez, look at the top of our order. There’s a lot of damage in that top.”

Hill knows he is going to play, the only question is usually, “Where is it today?”

Venable, on the other hand, is getting more time now because Junior Felix is on the disabled list with a calf injury. While he’s out, Venable and Dave Gallagher are sharing the center field position.

Venable hopes to use the opportunity to improve his .160 batting average, which is far below his .259 average last season.

“It’s been frustrating,” said Venable, who reached base four times and scored once Sunday, but was credited with only one hit, a bunt single. “I’m hitting the ball pretty well. I just can’t come up with hits.”

It’s a case of the hittin’-right-at-’em disease.

“I need to eliminate about six guys out in the field,” Venable said.

Although he’s starting a lot now, he soon expects to return to making only occasional starts.

“This is an opportunity now, while Junior’s out, to get some at-bats,” Venable said. “I think the Angels really want to win, so they’ll go with a set lineup, and I’ll get in when they want to give guys days off. At-bats will be hard to come by. I’m trying to use this opportunity now to get out of this rut.”

Howell, Hill and Venable did a good job of getting on base, Schofield did a good job driving them in. Howell scored on Schofield’s second-inning groundout, and Howell and Hill scored on the shortstop’s fourth-inning single to right.

Schofield made some adjustments in his hitting style late last season, after missing two months last year with a hamstring injury. He hit better than .300 in the final two months, and this season, he’s batting .270 and has already driven in 15 runs, nearly matching his 18 of last season.

“I just try to put the ball in play, and anything that happens offensively is a big plus for the team,” said Schofield, who has been excellent this season on defense, his most important duty.

Schofield, batting last, was cleanup man for a day, when an assortment of not-so-regular players kept the basepaths busy.

“You know each guy contributes, no matter where he comes in the lineup,” Howell said. “We’re all doing our jobs, having big innings, whether we’re in the bottom of the order or the top.”