BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Sluggers Put on Power Exhibition

The Angel power hitters appear to be in peak form for tonight’s season opener against Detroit. J.T. Snow, Jim Edmonds and Garret Anderson continued the big-hit parade Tuesday as the Angels beat the Padres in an exhibition, 12-4, in front of 1,294 at Anaheim Stadium.

Snow, who also singled and doubled, hit a 395-foot line drive over the fence in right-center in the second inning. Edmonds, who also had a single to raise his spring batting average to .522, hit an opposite-field shot into the left field seats in the third. And Anderson, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and singled in the eighth, hit a two-run homer to center in the third.

The Angels hit 11 home runs in their last four exhibition games.

San Diego’s pitching might have had something to do with the slugfest. Right-hander Russ Spear, an 18-year-old who was the youngest player in the Australian Baseball League last winter and who signed with the Padres March 7, gave up three homers in 1 1/3 innings.

“We’re not expecting to hit that many every four days and part of it might be due to spring-training pitching,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “But those are guys capable of hitting homers.”

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Left-hander Brian Anderson, who had struggled this spring, yielding 11 hits and eight earned runs in two outings that totaled only four innings, had a much better final tuneup Tuesday. He threw 59 pitches, gave up two hits, had one strikeout and did not walk a batter in five innings.

“I was never really worried about my stuff, it just took some time to get homed in on location,” Anderson said. “I felt really good today. I was keeping the ball down and mixing in the breaking ball better.

“It’s nice to have worked the kinks out. I’m looking forward to taking it into the season.”

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Anderson said that during the strike, “I was so bored, I went back to school.” He completed the winter quarter at Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, and says he will graduate in 1999 at his current pace of study. He also changed his major from accounting to marketing. “I thought maybe baseball could use some help in that department,” he said.

Why was third base coach Rick Burleson waving Chili Davis home from first base on a double to right by Eduardo Perez in the sixth inning with the Angels leading, 10-0? Davis scored standing up but awkwardly collided with San Diego catcher Brian Johnson. “You’re probably asking for trouble when you start playing with caution,” Lachemann said. “That’s when you get hurt.” Still, Lachemann removed Davis after the play.

Because of a buyout clause in Joe Magrane’s contract, the Angels will have to pay him $1.5 million this year and $500,000 next year, club officials said. Magrane was released Monday night. . . . The Angels have sold more than 51,000 tickets and are expecting a crowd of 60,000 tonight.