Anderson Keeps Setting Pace

The Angels can’t shake the .500 mark. The offense is stagnant at times, particularly at the top of the lineup. Amid the mediocrity -- and despite it -- Garret Anderson is on pace for one of the best seasons in franchise history.

Anderson hit two home runs and drove in four runs Thursday, sparking the Angels to a 7-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Edison Field. The Angels long have marveled at Anderson’s consistency and excellence, but even this year is something special, with the potential for career highs in numerous categories in an already impressive career.

“When I grow up, I want to be just like him,” center fielder Darin Erstad said. “He’s pretty amazing. You just don’t know what his ceiling is.”

The Angels won for the ninth time in 13 games and improved their record to 7-1 against the American League Central, with the Minnesota Twins in town for the weekend. Second baseman Adam Kennedy ended an 0-for-18 skid with two hits, including his first home run since May 30.

Aaron Sele, who could graduate past his five-inning limit after the All-Star break, won for the third consecutive start, extending his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 14 before the Royals nicked him for a run in the fifth. In the three starts since Manager Mike Scioscia shackled him with five-inning handcuffs, Sele has lowered his earned-run average from 7.01 to 5.37.

Ben Weber and Scott Schoeneweis shut out the Royals over the last four innings, with Schoeneweis striking out four of the six batters he faced. Schoeneweis, trying to work his way back from last-man-in-the-bullpen status, has pitched 10 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, reducing his ERA from 6.14 to 4.13.

But the story was Anderson, who speaks softly but carries a big bat. He let his bat do the talking in his contract, with consecutive All-Star selections boosting his 2004 salary from $5.5 million to $6.2 million. He let his peers do the talking this season, proud that his fellow players voted him as one of the three top outfielders in the league in All-Star balloting.

He is on pace to set career highs in home runs with 38, a total exceeded in club history by only Reggie Jackson and Troy Glaus, in runs batted in with 138, one shy of the club record set by Don Baylor, and in hits with 204, a total exceeded once, by Erstad.

His .313 batting average, within striking distance of his career high of .321, has been topped in club history by only Erstad, Rod Carew, Chili Davis, Brian Downing, Alex Johnson and Tim Salmon.

Yet, asked to discuss whether this is his finest season, he reserved judgment.

“I’ll have to wait until the end of the season,” he said. “If I stink the rest of the year, I won’t hear that question. Up until this point, numerically, yeah, but it’s not over yet.”

He has been invited to participate in the All-Star game home run derby, along with Bret Boone, Carlos Delgado, Jason Giambi, Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds.

He has as many home runs as Manny Ramirez and Rafael Palmeiro. He does not consider himself a home-run hitter.

“I’m not in the class with guys like Barry [Bonds],” he said.

What makes Anderson’s statistics all the more impressive is that he is driving in more runs than ever in a year the batters ahead of him are not getting on base.

Leadoff hitter David Eckstein scored 107 runs last year, with a .363 on-base percentage. He’s on pace to score 78 this year, with a .315 on-base percentage.

Erstad, who bats second, scored 99 runs last year. He sat out seven weeks because of a hamstring injury this year, and the Angels used seven substitutes in the No. 2 spot.

“The guys in front of him really haven’t been on base like they were in the past,” Erstad said.

“He’s just an RBI machine. He just finds a way.”