He Makes Plays, Not Highlights : Baseball: Tiger infielder Gomez has no flair for the spectacular, but his solid defensive play still wows his manager.

Chris Gomez, Detroit Tiger infielder, did nothing flashy Monday night. He didn’t have to.

“He doesn’t do any of that fancy stuff,” Manager Sparky Anderson said. “He just catches the ball and throws it, just like Alan Trammell.”

Uh-oh. We’ve heard this before.

Remember Torey Lovullo? Remember Chris Pittaro? Remember Billy Bean? They were destined to be stars, all of them, at least according to Sparky.

Now, here comes the next Alan Trammell? First thought is: Pack this kid’s bags and get him a ticket for Toledo .

But on second look, this time ol’ Sparky just might be right.

Gomez certainly did nothing to hurt his--or Anderson’s--image during the Tigers’ 7-2 victory over the Angels Monday night. He played solidly at second base, although his normal position is shortstop. Gomez made two difficult plays in the field and also had a clutch single to knock in a run.

A type of performance worthy of say, Alan Trammell?

” I don’t know if I can compare myself to him,” said Gomez, a graduate of Cal State Long Beach.

Then again.

“I guess there are flashy guys, like Ozzie Guillen and then there’s guys like Alan Trammell,” Gomez said. “Guys who just make the routine play all the time. I guess I’m kind of like that.”

Gomez, a third-round pick in 1992, was recalled from Toledo, the Tigers’ triple-A team, on July 19 to do just that. The Tigers’ infield had hardly distinguished itself before his arrival.

Trammell, playing on wobbly legs, has been spared the everyday wear and tear of playing shortstop, putting in time at other positions. In his absence, Travis Fryman played short and committed 20 errors.

Gomez has solved that problem. He has shored up the infield, allowing Fryman to move back to third base. Now Anderson has peace of mind when he gives Trammell a day off.

“The kid is not going to impress you right away,” Anderson said. “You may watch him for 20 games and still come back and say, ‘What do you see?’ But the kid doesn’t make mistakes.”

Twice Gomez ranged far to his left to make diving stops of ground balls Monday night. One play saved the Tigers a run.

He also singled to right in the sixth to drive in Mickey Tettleton and give the Tigers a 4-1 lead. It was his seventh RBI of the season and extended his hitting streak to five games.

“I felt good at the plate tonight,” said Gomez, who had about 60 friends and family members at the game. “I got some good hacks.”

Gomez’s hitting has been a bonus for the Tigers. He is batting .320 and has seven hits in his last 16 at-bats.

Not bad for a guy who was batting .245 with Toledo. Gomez hit .268 with London (Ontario, Canada), a double-A team, last season.

Gomez’s first major league hit was a triple against Kansas City on July 22. He then had a four-hit game against Seattle on July 30.

“He’s going to play 10 to 15 years in the major leagues,” Anderson said.

Just like Alan Trammell.