Angels’ Rookie Has a Ball : Baseball: Anderson hits first homer and Boskie improves to 5-0 with victory over Twins.

Garret Anderson, walking through the dugout on his way to stretch with his Angel teammates Tuesday afternoon, stopped in his tracks. He simply had to take another peek at the posted lineup card.

He took a long look as if to confirm what he had been told earlier. Yes, his name really was there among Tuesday’s starters--batting sixth and playing left field.

Hours later, Anderson made the move look brilliant, hitting his first major league home run in the Angels’ 7-2 victory over Minnesota before a paid crowd of 13,999 at Anaheim Stadium.

Anderson’s three-run homer was only his seventh major league hit, but it highlighted a four-run fourth inning.

Later, hitting coach Rod Carew presented Anderson with the ball.

“I don’t know if that’s the real ball,� Anderson said with a laugh as teammates Rex Hudler and Lee Smith leaned close along with reporters to listen to the rookie’s postgame comments.

“I’ll probably give it to my mom.�

Manager Marcel Lachemann moved Tony Phillips from left field to third base to clear a spot for Anderson, who has been biding his time on the bench since being recalled from triple-A Vancouver on June 7.

Anderson batted .311 with 12 runs batted in in 14 games for the Canadians, but he had only one hit in five at-bats since returning from the minors. He made the most of Tuesday’s chance to start, joining in the Angels’ relentless bashing of the hapless Twins.

After striking out in his first at-bat, Anderson slammed an 0-and-1 pitch over the right-field fence. It seemed clear it was a home run, but Anderson put his head down and began sprinting around the bases as if he needed to leg out a double.

“I don’t hit too many home runs, so when I hit the ball I take off running,� Anderson said.

So has Anderson earned another start tonight? Lachemann wouldn’t say for sure, but liked what he saw.

“We’ll have to see,� he said. “We had been talking about it [starting Anderson in left] when we came back home. We might have done it Monday, but they had the left-hander [Eddie Guardado] going.�

Anderson, a left-handed hitter, is expected to play primarily against right-handers.

The Twins had their ace, right-hander Kevin Tapani, starting Tuesday. It didn’t help.

Tapani has four of the Twins’ 12 victories this season and had thrown 20 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run or an extra base hit.

Then the fourth inning rolled around and neither Tapani, 4-5 with a 4.67 earned-run average, nor the Twins, on pace to break the major league record for homers allowed in a season with 79 so far, recovered.

Angel starter Shawn Boskie made sure the Twins lost their fifth in a row, pushing them 21 games behind first-place Cleveland in the American League Central.

Boskie, 5-0 with a 3.99 ERA, gave up eight hits and two runs with five strikeouts in eight innings. He did not walk a batter, marking the seventh start in which he has given up one walk or fewer.

“All this run production is almost awkward,� Boskie said after the Angels pounded out seven runs and 13 hits.

“It’s a nice feeling, but I’m constantly telling myself to stay aggressive instead of being protective.�

Aside from the scoreless first three innings, Tuesday looked a lot like batting practice for the Angels.

Anderson had two hits. Jim Edmonds had two hits, including a bases-empty homer in the fifth, and extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games.

Tim Salmon singled in his first two at-bats, running his streak of reaching base safely to nine consecutive plate appearances.