Four-Run Burst Puts Angels’ Streak at Six

The big inning has suddenly become a big weapon for the Angels.

A four-run seventh inning and 8 2/3 strong innings from Mark Langston enabled the Angels to extend their winning streak to six with a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees before 31,368 at Anaheim Stadium on Saturday night.

Langston (9-7) gave up six hits, but two of those were home runs. Don Mattingly’s two-run shot during the first and Danny Tartabull’s drive during the seventh provided a 3-1 lead for Yankee starter Scott Kamieniecki (2-7), but he was unable to hold it and reliever John Habyan was no luckier.

Singles by Mike Fitzgerald and Gary DiSarcina and a double by Luis Polonia produced one run, and when first baseman Mattingly had nowhere to throw on Luis Sojo’s grounder, DiSarcina scored the tying run on the Angels’ 11th hit.

Junior Felix walked and Von Hayes hit a grounder to short that was bobbled by shortstop Andy Stankiewicz for an error, allowing Polonia to score. Sojo scored the fifth run when Chad Curtis grounded to the right side. The Angels batted around before Habyan could end the inning, Rene Gonzales grounding out to shortstop.

The inning was much like the six-run flurry the Angels had during the eighth inning on Friday, which turned a close game into a 12-4 rout.

Why are they suddenly able to have big innings?

“I hate to think like that,” Gonzales said. “It will drive you nuts.”

Langston left with two out in the ninth after Randy Velarde had singled, Roberto Kelly flied out deep to left field and Mattingly grounded to first. Tartabull popped up against Mark Eichhorn to end the game and give the Angels their longest winning streak since they won seven from May 21-27, 1990. The Yankees have lost six consecutive games.

Mattingly gave the Yankees a quick lead with his 10th homer of the season, one more than he hit last season. His third career homer against Langston scored Velarde, who had singled to left with one out.

Since June 10, when he was batting .245, Mattingly has hit safely in 30 of 33 games and increased his average to .280.

The Angels got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, aided by a throwing error by catcher Mike Stanley.

Polonia led off the inning with a single to left, and with Sojo at bat, stole second. Stanley’s throw to second was high, sailing into center field, and Polonia took third. He scored when Felix grounded to second.

The Angels had an opportunity to tie the score during the second inning, after Curtis singled to left and stole second and third. Fitzgerald kept the inning going with a full-count walk, but DiSarcina ended it with a fly to center.

Langston had little difficulty after the first inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Pat Kelly during the third, but struck out Stankiewicz and Velarde grounded into a double play. Tartabull got into scoring position during the fourth on a two-out walk and a stolen base, but Jim Leyritz then grounded to third.

Two-out singles by Gonzales and Gary Gaetti put runners on first and third for the Angels during the fourth, but Kamieniecki got out of that when Fitzgerald popped to first baseman Mattingly in foul territory.

Two more singles were wasted by the Angels during the fifth as they stranded five in the first five innings. Polonia beat out a grounder to third with one out, and Sojo followed with a chopper that deflected off the glove of shortstop Stankiewicz and into left field for another hit. Polonia went to third ahead of the throw, but third baseman Charlie Hayes threw to second in time to get Sojo. Felix ended the inning by grounding to second.

Tartabull’s homer to right-center field during the seventh inning provided the second two-homer game against Langston this season. The other was June 2, when Baltimore’s Cal Ripken and Jeff Tackett homered against him during a 4-2 Oriole victory at Anaheim Stadium.