Anderson Continues His Assault : Orioles: Center fielder’s hot streak at the plate helps Baltimore cool off the Angels again.

Baltimore center fielder Brady Anderson stepped into the batter’s box Friday night with a modest .265 batting average, but also with a reputation as one of the hottest-hitting leadoff men in baseball lately.

And Anderson, a former UC Irvine standout, showed the Angels that his red-hot reputation was well-deserved. He went three for four, scored three runs and drove in another in Baltimore’s 9-2 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

Lately, that has been a typical performance for Anderson, whose hit-and-run style of play has helped the Orioles keep pace with the New York Yankees in the AL East race.

“If there is such thing as a streaky hitter,” Oriole Manager Johnny Oates said, “it’s Brady. He has been pretty streaky this year but has been on the rise as of late. He’s right where he should be, in the .270 to .280 range. And he’s been scoring runs--his goal is to score 100 and anything else is a plus.”

After a slow start this season, Anderson’s resume in the month of July reads like that of an All-Star:

--He is 20 for 47 this month and is riding a 10-game hitting streak, including five-consecutive multi-hit games.

--In the last 10 games, he has increased his batting average with runners in scoring position by more than 70 points.

--He has dominated Angel pitching in the first two games of the four-game series, going five for nine.

--He has stolen 20 consecutive bases without getting caught.

Anderson was on the basepaths early and often Friday night.

He opened the game with a triple, belting Phil Leftwich’s pitch down the right-field line and into the corner. As Tim Salmon scrambled to get the ball, Anderson rounded second and easily beat the relay throw to third. He scored on Rafael Palmeiro’s sacrifice fly to right field.

After walking and stealing a base in the third, Anderson drove in Jeffrey Hammonds in the fifth when a towering fly to shallow right field somehow fell between a charging Salmon and a retreating Damion Easley. Chris Sabo followed with a two-run homer to left, giving the Orioles a 4-0 lead.

Anderson reached base again in the seventh on a line drive down the first-base line off Joe Magrane, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Palmeiro.

Palmeiro, Sabo and Anderson did most of the damage Friday night, combining to score seven runs and drive in five. The trio helped make a winner of Sid Fernandez (6-4), who held the Angels scoreless for six innings.

“That’s exactly what we want from the top of our order,” Oates said. “That’s why we have them hitting there. The whole club has been swinging the bat well as of late, but those guys (Sabo, Anderson and Palmeiro) have a pretty good track record.”