It’s Like Day and Night for the Angels in Boston

Storm clouds passed, a milestone was reached, another day passed without a trade for more pitching and the Angels won twice Friday at Fenway Park.

The Angels bid good riddance to rainy New York and ended their two-game losing streak by sweeping a day-night doubleheader from the sad-sack Boston Red Sox, 5-4 and 8-5.

Chuck Finley subdued the Red Sox in the first game, won his career-high sixth consecutive start and tied Nolan Ryan for the most victories in franchise history with 138.

“I haven’t been keeping up with that stuff, but I knew sooner or later I’d come up on it,” said Finley, 138-120 in his 12-year Angel career. Ryan, an Angel from 1972-79, was 138-121.

Left fielder Garret Anderson, the subject of ongoing trade rumors, had a season-high four runs batted in and hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to help complete the sweep in the second game.

Right fielder Tim Salmon was also a major contributor. He singled and homered in the first game, then singled, doubled and drove in the game-winning run with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly in the second game.

“Everybody said, ‘When this guy gets on a roll, he’s a guy you can ride,’ ” Manager Terry Collins said. “Right now, he’s on a roll.”

Salmon’s July batting average is .418 and he has seven homers and 28 RBIs. Finley also has had quite a July, going 6-0 with a 2.32 earned-run average.

“The first half of the season, I was struggling to find myself,” said Finley, 9-6 with a 4.59 ERA in 20 starts this season. “To be able to help the team and keep us in the [playoff] hunt is the most gratifying thing. All those numbers are something to think about when you’re retired. I was really dragging down the team there in the first half.”

After consecutive losses to the Yankees on Tuesday and Wednesday and a rainout Thursday, the Angels needed a pick-me-up, and Finley delivered seven strong innings.

He gave up one run on seven hits with nine strikeouts and three walks. It was his best outing since striking out 13 in a complete-game victory July 12 over the Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Stadium.

“We still need another pitcher, but he’s our workhorse,” center fielder Jim Edmonds said. “Other guys feed off him. He’s going to be important for us down the stretch whether we have a 10-man rotation or a four-man rotation.”

As much as Edmonds would like to see management trade for Philadelphia’s Curt Schilling, he’s simply glad to have Finley throwing so well. Catching Ryan on the all-time victory list is merely testimony to Finley’s perseverance.

“He’s stayed here and stuck it out, took less money and played where he wanted to play,” Edmonds said. “He’s been here 12 years. Unbelievable. People don’t talk about him like they do Ripken or Kirby Puckett, but they should.”

The Angels almost let the first game slip away in the ninth inning.

“I felt fine, but I just wasn’t very good,” said closer Troy Percival, obviously rusty after not pitching since last Sunday.

Percival gave up three runs on four hits but before the Red Sox could complete their rally, he retired Mike Stanley on a pop up to end the game.

The Angels had seized control of Game 1 with a three-run third inning against Boston starter Tom Gordon (5-9). Then in the seventh, Salmon slammed a 1-and-1 pitch from Gordon into the teeth of a 20-mph wind blowing in from left field for a 406-foot two-run homer and a 5-1 lead.

“I thought it was as hard as I’ve seen him hit a ball,” Edmonds said.

Said Finley: “He must have crushed it to get it through that wind. I didn’t figure there’d be any hit over the Green Monster today.”

Boston’s only run until the ninth inning came on Shane Mack’s RBI double off the left-field wall.

The second game was decided by a shaky relief performance by knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (4-12) in the ninth inning. Wakefield entered the game to start the eighth and retired the Angels in order.

But the Angels managed to solve his knuckler in the ninth.

Darin Erstad tripled to lead off the inning, but couldn’t score on Dave Hollins’ fly ball to short right field. After Wakefield walked Edmonds intentionally to set up a possible double play, Salmon drove in the go-ahead with a sacrifice fly to center.

Anderson then gave the Angels and Percival some margin for error in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run homer. This time, Percival didn’t need it.

After Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra reached first on an error, Percival recorded consecutive strikeouts before retiring Jeff Frye on a fly ball to end the game.