Polonia Pulls Out of Batting Slump : Angels: His first hit in 14 at-bats helps Langston to a 4-3 victory over the Brewers.

Say what you will about Luis Polonia’s glove, his bat has always been reliable.

He batted .335 last season, best in the American League, but he was 66 plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title. Polonia was mired in one of the worst slumps of his career Tuesday, but still had an average above .300.

When Polonia stepped to the plate with runners on first and third in the sixth inning of the Angels’ 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, he was on the verge of matching the longest hitless streak of his career--a mere 14 at-bats.

This, the day after being booed for failing to catch two fly balls in left field. As Polonia said before the game, “When you go bad, everything goes bad.�

But Polonia hit a grounder past the outstretched glove of second baseman Willie Randolph, and catcher Ron Tingley easily scored what proved to be the winning run from third. Tingley had walked and gone to third on Dick Schofield’s single to right, the shortstop’s third of three hits.

Polonia led the team in hitting with runners in scoring position last season, and entered the game hitting .434 in that situation this season.

That proved the winning margin for pitcher Mark Langston (8-2), who struck out a season-high nine in 7 2/3 innings before 23,044 at Anaheim Stadium in winning for the seventh time in his last eight decisions.

Last season, when Langston struggled through a 10-17 season, he did not get his eighth victory until Aug. 25.

Langston departed after giving up a two-out single to Robin Yount. Langston has had a tendency to give up two-out runs, and the Angels quickly replaced him with Bryan Harvey. Only Saturday they had watched Jim Abbott lose after giving up a three-run homer in the eighth, minutes after a visit to the mound.

Harvey finished the game, recording his 15th save.

“There’s no reason, really, to take a chance and go nine,� said Langston, who has three complete games this season.

“Our bullpen is the best in the major leagues. That’s a comforting feeling.�

Reliever Kevin Brown (2-3) was the loser.

“Langston was beatable tonight, but we pitched ourselves out of the ballgame,� Brewer Manager Tom Trebelhorn said.

Two of the three runs Langston gave up were home runs.

One was hit by Dante Bichette, who was traded to Milwaukee by the Angels for Dave Parker and a minor leaguer during spring training.

Bichette led off the second inning with his 11th home run of the season. It was his seventh in his last 14 hits.

The other homer was a fifth-inning shot by Paul Molitor, his fourth. Molitor, whose homer made the score 3-3, entered the game hitting .338, third in the American League behind Cal Ripken Jr. and Edgar Martinez.

Schofield’s three hits and a walk in four at-bats lifted his average to .282, the highest it has ever been at this point in the season. On this date last year, he was hitting .059, having been sidelined for two months because of a hamstring injury.

“Schoey is a different hitter than when he came back last year,� Angel Manager Doug Rader said. “He has become a become a much more dangerous hitter . . . a better hitter in the clutch.�

Said Trebelhorn: “They hit well in the clutch tonight, and when you do, that it usually helps you.�