Fryman’s Homers Beat Angels

Cecil Fielder has never hit a homer at Anaheim Stadium, but the Tigers don’t care--not as long as Travis Fryman makes himself at home in Anaheim.

Fryman hit two home runs Tuesday, the second to break a tie in the eighth inning, and drove in three runs in the Tigers’ 4-2 victory over the Angels.

Fryman, who victimized Angel starter Mark Langston in the fourth inning for his fifth homer of the season and scored Dan Gladden with a grounder to the right side in the fifth, lofted a 1-and-0 pitch from Bryan Harvey (0-2) into the left-field seats to give Detroit a 3-2 lead.

Fryman, who hit 21 homers last season, had never hit two in a game.

The Tigers added another run in the eighth inning against an uncharacteristically wild Harvey on three walks, a fly ball and a fielder’s choice grounder by pinch-hitter Lou Whitaker. Harvey hadn’t issued three walks in an inning since June 15, 1990, at Detroit.

Fryman’s exploits extended the Tigers’ homer streak to 12 consecutive games--all without the help of the prolific Fielder. The Tiger first baseman missed Tuesday’s game because of a sore left hand and hasn’t homered in his last 49 at-bats, since April 22.

Langston lasted seven innings, giving up nine hits and a walk. Detroit starter Mark Leiter pitched five innings before giving way to former Angel Frank Tanana (2-3).

Junior Felix accounted for both Angel runs, with a first-inning home run--his fifth of the season--and a run-scoring single in the third.

The Angels had loaded the bases against Tanana with two out in the seventh inning but couldn’t score. Von Hayes, who had slashed a line drive into the lower stands in right in foul territory on Tanana’s 3-and-1 pitch, smashed a grounder to first on the next pitch. First baseman Skeeter Barnes made a good play to keep it from going through and slid into first base to beat Hayes.

The defeat left the Angels with a 4-2 record on their home stand entering today’s finale.

The Angels provided Langston some offensive support in the first inning, and he repaid them by making a good move to first to pick off Fryman, who was caught in a rundown after he singled to lead off the Tigers’ half of the second inning.

Felix kept his place among the top run producers in the American League when he lined a 2-and-0 pitch over the fence in right-center field for his fifth home run and 27th run batted in of the season. Felix didn’t start the Angels’ previous two games because of a sprained right ankle.

Langston preserved that 1-0 lead in the second inning, but not without a challenge. Fryman led off with a chopper to third base and barely beat Gary Gaetti’s throw.

After Mickey Tettleton sent left fielder Luis Polonia to the warning track in left field for a long out, Langston caught Fryman leaning too far toward second and threw to first baseman Alvin Davis to begin a rundown. Davis’ throw to second sailed past second baseman Rene Gonzales, but shortstop Gary DiSarcina was there to back it up, and he grabbed the ball and threw back to Davis for the tag on Fryman.

That out proved crucial when Rob Deer walked and Mark Carreon lined a double down the left-field line, moving Deer to third. But Langston dodged danger by getting Barnes to fly to left.

Felix struck again in the third inning, but this time, the Tigers answered back with a run in the fourth.

DiSarcina led off the bottom of the third inning with a single to left field. He moved to second base when Polonia hit a grounder to third. DiSarcina held on Hayes’ fly to left but scored when Felix grounded Leiter’s 2-and-2 pitch through the right side for a single. Brooks ended the inning by striking out.

Fryman made it a one-run game by slamming the first pitch of the fourth inning into the left-field seats for his fifth home run of the season and fifth hit in 11 at-bats against Langston. Tettleton followed with a bouncer that Langston handled easily, but Deer dumped a broken-bat single into center field and Carreon lined a single to left.

Langston induced Barnes to fly to right field and struck out Cuyler on a high fastball on a 1-and-2 count to quash the Tigers’ threat.

Langston could no longer hold off the Tigers in the fifth inning, when they tied the game, 2-2. Dan Gladden started the flurry with a single to left-center, and Alan Trammell followed with a single to center, moving Gladden to third. Fryman took three balls before hitting a roller to first that was slow enough for Gladden to score.