Anderson Halfway to DiMaggio

Twenty-eight down and 28 to Joe DiMaggio.

Garret Anderson singled to right in the seventh inning Friday night, extending his club-record hitting streak to 28 games, the longest in the majors this season and 28 short of DiMaggio’s all-time record of 56.

Anderson had a hit in every game he played in July, but he’ll have to repeat the feat in August to catch DiMaggio.

“I don’t think DiMaggio’s streak will ever be broken,” Anderson said. “[Being halfway there] puts everything in perspective. Now that I’m going through this, I can say ‘Wow, that’s something.’ ”

During the streak--the sixth-longest in the major leagues in the last 10 years--Anderson is hitting .405 with three home runs, 15 doubles and 20 runs batted in.

“Garret can flat-out hit,” Manager Terry Collins said. “The streak doesn’t surprise me at all because Garret hits from foul line to foul line. If they pitch him inside, he’ll pull the ball. If they pitch him outside, he’ll take the single to left.”

Anderson is among the top eight in the league in average (.322), hits (131), doubles (30) and triples (six).

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Soon after being traded to the injury-plagued Angels from the Chicago White Sox last week, catcher Charlie O’Brien suffered a broken thumb.

“We made the deal last week, the night he got hurt,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “We had to evaluate the condition of his thumb and then we considered waiting until he came off the disabled list to announce it, but we didn’t want to fool with the waiver issue.”

Bavasi doesn’t pretend to believe that O’Brien, who was hitting .262 with four homers and 18 runs batted in, will be the player to lead the Angels to a division title.

“I’m not saying we got better,” he said. “I’m saying it makes us deeper.”

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Randy Velarde, recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, will play back-to-back games at second base Friday and today in triple-A Vancouver. How his arm reacts will determine how soon he rejoins the Angels. “He could be here real soon,” Collins said. . . . Jack McDowell, also recovering from elbow surgery, will face his teammates in a simulated game to give him an idea if he’s ready to face big league hitters. . . . Former Dodger Billy Ashley was designated for assignment by Boston to make room for pitcher Greg Swindell and outfielder/first baseman Orlando Merced, acquired in a trade with Minnesota. . . . Friday night’s crowd of 43,390 was the fifth sellout of the season.

TODAY

ANGELS’ ALLEN WATSON (4-6, 6.25 ERA) vs. RED SOX’S PEDRO MARTINEZ (14-3, 2.59 ERA)

Edison Field, 1 p.m.

TV--Channel 11. Radio--KRLA (1110), XPRS (1090)

* Update--Troy Glaus, who had a run-scoring double in his first major league at-bat Friday night, will stay in the starting lineup through the weekend. Collins will let the rookie get a baptism against Martinez. “If he’s good enough, he’s good enough,” Collins said. “But it’s not his job to carry this team.” So Dave Hollins will make his first start of the season at first base today with Cecil Fielder becoming the designated hitter and Tim Salmon getting a day off. If Glaus becomes an everyday player, Fielder, who has 44 of his 68 RBIs in 20 games, and the switch-hitting Hollins, who has driven in only three runs in the last 17 games, may split time at first.