Homers? Boskie Couldn’t Care Less

Pitcher Shawn Boskie is now tied with Kansas City’s Mark Gubicza and San Francisco’s Mark Leiter for the major league lead in home runs allowed with 22, and you know what? He really doesn’t care.

That’s why, when Saturday’s postgame discussion turned to Seattle first baseman Paul Sorrento’s monster of a two-run homer into the upper deck in right field, Boskie asked, “Was it that far? I didn’t see it. I knew it was gone, so there was no sense admiring it.”

It may sound strange, but the fact that Boskie has given up so many homers may have helped him recover from Sorrento’s fourth-inning blast, which tied the score, 4-4. Boskie held the Mariners scoreless from that point through the eighth, helping the Angels to a 6-4 victory.

“I’ve given up my share of homers, so they’re not fazing me as much,” Boskie said. “I felt like if I could just put some zeros on the board and keep us in the game, we’d have a chance to win.”

Boskie, who is making only $200,000 on a staff of millionaires, has done that more than any Angel pitcher this season, a fact reflected in his 10-3 record and 4.21 ERA. Where he was once timid, unsure of his ability, Boskie now exudes confidence.

“He’s becoming our right-handed workhorse, like Chuck [Finley] is from the left side,” shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “He gave up a few runs but just got better. He came in after the seventh inning and said, ‘Just get me one more run.’ I think we fed off his confidence.”

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The Angels built their 4-0 lead Saturday on the strength of Randy Velarde’s solo home run off starter Rusty Meacham in the second inning and a three-run third, which included singles by J.T. Snow and Tim Salmon, a run-scoring groundout by Chili Davis and run-scoring singles by Orlando Palmeiro and Velarde.

Palmeiro started in place of left fielder Garret Anderson, who delivered a pinch-hit single to start the winning rally in the ninth. Anderson was forced at second on Darin Erstad’s grounder, and Seattle third baseman Doug Strange’s error on Rex Hudler’s potential double-play ball opened the door for the Angels to score two runs.

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Strangest sight of Saturday’s game was seeing Meacham get bombed for four runs on nine hits in only 2 1/3 innings and then have the nerve to bark at home-plate umpire Rich Garcia about his pitch-calling after Manager Lou Piniella yanked him. . . . Erstad apologized to Snow for his ninth-inning base-running gaffe, which cost Snow the game-winning RBI. “After the game he said, ‘Oh, man, I’m sorry,’ ” Snow said. “I told him he has nothing to be sorry about.”