National Pleasure for Angels

Wasn’t it only three weeks ago that Angel hitters were being branded as baseball’s most expensive collection of underachievers this side of the New York Yankees, and speculation swirled that batting instructor Mickey Hatcher’s job was in jeopardy?

Angel fortunes have swung so dramatically since then that Hatcher could probably convince finicky fans and critics he deserves a raise and a contract extension.

The Angels pounded three Washington pitchers for a season-high 20 hits in Monday night’s 11-1 interleague victory in front of an announced 40,790 in Angel Stadium, ending the Nationals’ 10-game win streak with a thud.

Right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, in his fourth game back from the disabled list, equaled a career high with four hits and drove in five runs, three of them on a sixth-inning home run to left field that gave the Angels a 10-1 lead.

First baseman Darin Erstad had two doubles and a single in four at-bats, extending his hit streak to 14 games and continuing a surge that has mirrored the Angels’ offensive upswing.

Erstad is batting .379 (22 for 58) with 12 runs batted in and 14 runs in his last 14 games, raising his average from .262 to .289. After hitting .228 and averaging 3.5 runs and 7.5 hits during a 23-game stretch from May 1-26, the Angels have hit .323 in their last 16 games, averaging seven runs and 11.8 hits a game.

Dallas McPherson sparked a five-run fourth inning with his sixth home run of the season, Juan Rivera put the finishing touches on the Angel outburst with a solo homer in the eighth, and right-hander Paul Byrd capitalized on the support with six efficient innings, giving up one run and four hits to improve to 6-5.

“I told the guys, ‘If you score me 10 runs, I will win a lot of games for you,’ ” said Byrd, who pitched with slight discomfort in his right triceps.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and we had 10 runs in the sixth inning. That was nice.”

About as nice as the sight of Guerrero back in the middle of the Angel lineup. The Angels weathered Guerrero’s three-week absence, going 10-8 while the 2004 American League most valuable player was sidelined because of a partial dislocation of his left shoulder. But clearly, they are a different team with the slugger, who is nine for 16 in his four games back.

“He’s a freak,” Byrd said. “He sits around the clubhouse for two weeks with ice on his shoulder, steps back into the batter’s box and doesn’t miss a beat. He could probably show up for a 7 p.m. game at 6:45 and hit home runs. He’s one of the elite players in the game. His presence on the field makes everyone better.”

After going 6-6 during a 12-game trip in which they lost four games in the opponent’s final at-bat and their overworked bullpen suffered several uncharacteristic breakdowns, the Angels were glad to return to comfortable surroundings and an easy win over baseball’s hottest team.

The first three hitters -- Chone Figgins, Erstad and Guerrero -- combined to go 11 for 14 with eight runs and nine RBIs, and the Angels sent Washington starter Esteban Loaiza to the bench during a fourth-inning uprising in which they strung together six consecutive hits, including the 1,000th of shortstop Orlando Cabrera’s career.

McPherson led off the fourth with a homer to center, giving the Angel third baseman five home runs, 14 RBIs and 12 runs in his last 17 games, and Adam Kennedy (single), Figgins (two-run triple), Erstad (RBI double) and Guerrero (RBI single) had hits during the rally.

“Everyone seems to be hot right now, and a few weeks ago, everyone was cold,” McPherson said. “That’s the biggest difference between now and the team that was slumping two weeks ago.”