When Lachemann Calls, Hudler Delivers : Baseball: Two-run home run in sixth inning helps Angels to 4-3 victory over White Sox.

Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann knew it hardly was fair. Come to think of it, it was rather cruel.

He was the one responsible for sending veteran Rex Hudler to the disabled list, and while Hudler was gone, he lost his second base job to Damion Easley. He tried to gently break the news.

“I think he felt bad about it,” Hudler said, “but I told him, ‘Hey, no problem. I’ll play anywhere you want. I can play anywhere but pitcher or catcher, and if you really need me to, I’ll catch.’ ”

So guess who Lachemann turned to Saturday night when he suddenly needed a left fielder, and guess who hit a two-run homer to help the Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox?

Hudler, the man they call Wonder Dog, broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning by hitting a home run against Jason Bere that landed 386 feet away in the White Sox bullpen.

Just like that, the Angels (30-39) had their third consecutive victory, moving within 2 1/2 games of the Texas Rangers, and convincing themselves once again that they can win the American League West title.

Wow, winning three in row at Comiskey Park sure must have a way of changing a team’s morale.

“Hey, the way we’ve been going,” said Joe Grahe, who earned his 11th save, “winning three in a row at a Pony League field would have been a big lift.”

Perhaps there is no player more capable of lifting the Angels’ morale than Hudler, who ate a worm during a game last season in Japan and swallowed a June bug while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.

“When you need to rally your team,” Hudler said, “I’ll try anything. You never know what will work.”

Said starter Mark Langston: “He adds so much to our team. His adrenaline is always going anyway, but when he plays, it’s a whole new level. That lifts everyone up.”

Take a look at the proof. The Angels were in first place with a 23-26 record, and Hudler was batting .406, when Lachemann and Hudler raced for a loose ball during batting practice on May 28. Lachemann accidentally flung his fungo bat while going for the ball, Hudler flipped, landed on his shoulder and spent 17 days on the disabled list.

The Angels proceeded to lose 12 of 15 games. Hudler was activated Tuesday. What happens? The Angels have won four of five.

“I ain’t no catalyst, and I ain’t no star player,” Hudler said. “But I can help a team. This is one of the biggest homers I’ve hit in a long, long time. I hit a couple in Japan, but come on, man, that was Japan. This is the big leagues.”

Meanwhile, Langston (4-4) became the latest pitcher to stymie the White Sox’s potent offense. He not only yielded six hits and three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings, but also vented his frustrations about what he believes to be preferential umpiring treatment toward Chicago first baseman Frank Thomas.

Langston was convinced that he struck out Thomas in the first inning on a 3-and-2 pitch, but instead watched in disbelief as home-plate umpire Tim Welke called it a ball for Thomas’ league-leading 61st walk.

Langston became irate, walking toward the plate and yelling so loudly at Welke that his voice could be heard in the press box. It wound up costing Langston a run, and he again yelled at Welke while he walked off the field at the inning’s conclusion.

“A guy is hitting (.377), and you kind of wonder why, and then you see,” Langston said. “Frank Thomas is a good enough hitter as it is, he doesn’t need any help.

“That pitch is a strike in any league, in any situation. It’s very rare that I’ll say something, but I’ve been around long enough that I’m going to voice my opinion.

“You start giving him stuff, and that puts us in a big hole. To allow him to lock in on stuff right over the plate, that’s unfair.”

No matter, Langston survived Thomas’ 24th home run in the third inning, and watched in admiration as the bullpen tandem of Mark Leiter and Grahe pitched the final 2 2/3 innings without giving up a hit.

“We’ve been through some times, every one of us,” said Grahe, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. “We struggled together, but we stuck together. Nobody threw in the towel.”