First Things First: Angels Lead AL West : Baseball: Salmon, Snow hit homers again in 7-6 victory over Indians. Farrell gets first win since 1990.

Manager Buck Rodgers sat calmly in his office Wednesday night after the Angels’ 7-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians, acting as if it were just another game.

Yes, he said, it was nice to see starter John Farrell win his first game since June 24, 1990--preserved when reliever Steve Frey retired Reggie Jefferson on a liner to center field with runners on first and third.

It was sure something, he said, the way rookies J.T. Snow and Tim Salmon are playing, each hitting home runs for the second consecutive game.

And isn’t Chad Curtis something, Rodgers said, getting two more hits and stealing his league-leading 10th base of the season. The Angels’ 22 stolen bases already are five more than they stole all of last April.

But Buck, aren’t you forgetting something?

His face broke into a slow, but expansive smile. Yes, he’s well aware of the victory’s significance.

For the first time since July 3, 1991--back when they still had guys like Wally Joyner, Dave Winfield, Dave Parker and Lance Parrish--the Angels (8-4) are in sole possession of first place in the American League West.

“I’m not low-keying it,” Rodgers said. “I’m happy with the way people are playing. It’s just not something you go around the neighborhood screaming about.

“All I’m saying is that it’s a little premature for everybody to order World Series tickets.”

Still, Rodgers confesses, it’s difficult not to get excited about this team. The Angels are winning games with their speed, their defense, and yes, even with their power.

They terrorized yet another round of pitchers in front of 17,274 fans at Anaheim Stadium, getting two home runs and three doubles among 10 hits and stealing three bases.

“Our offense obviously is much better that we expected,” Rodgers said. “Let’s face it, the offense has been carrying us.

“I think right now, we’ve shown we can fundamentally play the game as well as any team we’ve played so far, and better than a few.”

And, what’s an Angel game without the heroics of Snow?

With the Angels hanging onto a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning, Snow stepped to the plate and hit a two-out, two-run homer into the right-field seats. The crowd went into a frenzy, the fireworks went off, and Snow rounded the bases as if he can’t believe all of this himself.

Snow, who now has the New York talk shows second-guessing the Yankees for giving him up for a pitcher like Jim Abbott, raised his batting average to .372 with four homers and 14 RBIs, leading the team regulars in the three categories.

Meanwhile, lost in Snow’s accomplishments has been right-fielder Salmon, the other rookie on the team. Salmon set the stage for the first-place festivities with his two-out, three-run homer in the first inning. It was Salmon’s second homer in two nights.

The Angels’ victory, perhaps most of all, was best symbolized by Farrell, defeating his former teammates for his first victory in 2 1/2 years. His new teammates celebrated the occasion by dousing him with beer.

Farrell, who spent the first eight years of his career in the Cleveland organization, was given up by the Indians after the 1991 season. Considered part of the heart of their rotation and the soul of the organization, Farrell simply no longer was of use to the Indians after undergoing two elbow surgeries.

They offered to provide him a triple-A contract, but Farrell thought it was an insult, and instead opted for the Angels’ modest two-year, $400,000 offer.

“When things aren’t going so well, you find out what the other side is like,” Farrell said. “They made a choice that was strictly business. But believe me, after all I’ve gone through, the wait was well worth it.”

Now, pitching against his former team, but against only four players that were with the Indians when he left, Farrell left them knowing that it might have been premature to dump him. He yielded five hits and two runs in five innings, striking out five.