Boskie Has a Lucky Number

Edgy and uncomfortable, Shawn Boskie fought a sense of impending doom and the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

In the end, he overcame both, giving the Angels a relatively easy 6-4 victory in front of 35,464 at County Stadium. It was the Angels’ 12th victory in 14 games and maintained their status as the hottest team in the major leagues.

Years from now, Boskie might remember his eighth victory this season another way. But what stood out in his mind were the uneasy feelings that continually washed over him on the mound.

Sure, Milwaukee features one of the American League’s top offenses this season. But, come on, the Brewers are two games below .500. Certainly, they’re not a team that would have a veteran pitcher quaking in his spikes.

“I felt on edge,” Boskie said after giving up four runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts and one walk in eight solid innings. “I didn’t feel like I was ever under control.”

He also insisted that wasn’t such a bad thing.

“Sometimes when you do feel under control, the game slips away,” said Boskie, 8-2 with a 3.79 earned-run average.

If that sounds odd, forgive Boskie. He was entering unknown territory Saturday.

After all, he has never won more than seven games in a season and he needs some time to get used to this whole winning gig. With the All-Star break still more than three weeks away, Boskie must adjust his goals and raise his expectations.

He said that goes against his principles. He began his pro career like many hot prospects, believing Cooperstown might come calling a few weeks after making his major league debut.

One day after a disappointing outing as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, he sought advice from Manager Jim Fregosi.

“I had been labeled a great prospect with great stuff and here I got lit up,” Boskie said. “I talked to Fregosi about it and he stopped me before I could even get started and said, ‘You know what? You expect too much out of yourself. Do yourself a favor and just do the job and have fun.’ ”

Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann on Saturday gave the OK for Boskie to start setting his sights a bit higher.

“He’s been even better than last year [when Boskie was 7-7 in 20 starts for the Angels],” Lachemann said. “He’s been extremely consistent since he came back into the rotation.”

Saturday’s victory was his fourth since leaving the bullpen for a starting spot May 21. He is 4-1 with a 2.82 ERA in seven starts since the switch.

The Angels missed no opportunities to jump on the Brewers’ mistakes, and there were plenty.

For example, the Angels scored three runs on one hit, a two-base error, a run-scoring strikeout and a sacrifice fly in the third inning.

A run-scoring strikeout?

Milwaukee starter Angel Miranda (3-5) fanned Don Slaught with a wild third strike, allowing Gary DiSarcina to score from third.

Darin Erstad, who reached second when right fielder David Nilsson crashed into center fielder Pat Listach and knocked the ball from his glove, moved to third. He scored on Garret Anderson’s sacrifice.

Erstad’s two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth gave the Angels a 5-0 lead.

Boskie certainly was grateful for the run support. “Every time I’ve pitched we’ve scored plenty of runs,” he said. “Before I go out there I know we’re going to score runs. I know I don’t have to be perfect. I just have to be aggressive. That’s one thing that carried over from being in the bullpen: Just attack and see what happens.”