Anderson a Constant in an Uneven Season

A human highlight film Garret Anderson is not. He’ll never threaten Mark McGwire’s single-season record of 70 homers. He won’t hit .400. He doesn’t dive headfirst on the basepaths or in the outfield.

But in a lineup full of batters who have spent the season in mini-streaks or lengthy slumps, the Angel left fielder has been the only real constant.

Anderson, who homered twice and had an RBI double in the Angels’ 13-4 victory over the Red Sox Thursday night, is batting .280 with 20 homers and 81 runs batted in, putting him on a pace for 30 homers and 121 RBIs. He has not gone more than two games without a hit. His average has not dropped below .260 since April 28. He’s the only Angel to play in all 108 games.

“I know consistency is boring at times, but over the course of your career, it usually brings you recognition,” said Anderson, who batted .285 or better in each of his first six seasons. “It’s almost like you can predict [what I’m going to do], it’s the norm, and people don’t like the norm. But over time, people appreciate it.”

Anderson broke from the norm last season, ripping 26 home runs by the All-Star break--his previous career high for a season was 21 homers in 1999--and finishing with career highs in homers (35) and RBIs (117).

He has maintained that power pace this season, so much so that Manager Mike Scioscia moved Anderson to the cleanup spot July 16. He has been one of the few Angels to make instant adjustments at the plate--he struck out on a Bret Saberhagen breaking ball in the dirt in the first inning Thursday night, then homered in his next two at-bats against the Red Sox right-hander.

“As you get older, you start to relax more,” Anderson, 29, said. “I used to look at older hitters in clutch situations and think, ‘How come he’s not jumping around in the box? How come it seems like it takes 10 seconds for the ball to get to him?’

“Now, I know what you can do with certain pitches. It’s not as much a guessing game. When the game is on the line, the middle-of-the-order hitters don’t look antsy. They look like they think they’re going to do it, and that’s what I’m growing into.”

President George H. Bush, the father of President George W. Bush, attended Thursday night’s game and mingled with players and coaches around the batting cage before the game.

David Eckstein posed for a picture with Bush, and Shawn Wooten was not bashful about introducing himself. Scioscia, who had met Bush several times in Los Angeles, took a brief detour before greeting the president.

“First I’ve got to pay homage to Peter Gammons,” Scioscia said of the ESPN analyst, who was also near the cage. “Then I’ll talk to President Bush.”

Sure enough, Scioscia shook hands with Gammons before having a brief but animated conversation with Bush, the former Yale first baseman.

“He’s about as down to earth a guy as you can get,” Scioscia said. “There are a lot of pros and cons to this job, a lot of demands, but you get to meet tons of people, whether they’re musicians or presidents.”

ON DECK

* Opponent--New York Yankees, four games.

* Site--Yankee Stadium, New York.

* Today--4 p.m. PDT

* TV--Channel 9 today and Sunday, Channel 11 Saturday.

* Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Records--Angels 56-52, Yankees 65-43.

* 2000 Record vs. Yankees--5-5.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

JARROD WASHBURN

(9-4, 3.42 ERA)

vs.

YANKEES’

ANDY PETTITTE

(11-6, 3.42 ERA)

* Update--Washburn, who returned to Wisconsin this week because of the death of his grandmother, missed his last start and hasn’t pitched since July 24. The left-hander has not lost since May 8, and has won eight consecutive decisions. The Yankees have won 23 of 33 games. With closer Mariano Rivera and set-up man Mike Stanton leading the way, New York is 57-1 when leading after eight innings this season. Roger Clemens, who left his last start because of a groin problem, will start on his 39th birthday Saturday. He is tied with Arizona’s Curt Schilling for the major league lead in wins with 15.

* Saturday, 10 a.m.--Ismael Valdes (7-6, 3.72) vs. Roger Clemens (15-1, 3.58).

* Sunday, 10 a.m.--Ramon Ortiz (9-7, 4.01) vs. Ted Lilly (3-4, 4.80).

* Monday, 10 a.m.--Scott Schoeneweis (8-8, 4.80) vs. Sterling Hitchcock (1-0, 9.00).