[0] ANGELS OUTSLUG INDIANS : IMPRESSIVE SOCK HELPS BAD PITCHING ANGELS 13, CLEVELAND 8.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

With Mark Langston just off the surgeon's table and unavailable for two months, and with the pitching rotation littered with such names as Springer, Sanderson and Grimsley, the Angels have obviously devised a consequent strategy:

Hack. From the heels. And for all you're worth.

As knuckleballer Dennis Springer, Langton's immediate replacement, was abused by the potent bats of the defending league-champion Cleveland Indians on Friday night, the Angels returned every cut with a hearty one of their own, and scrambled to grab a 13-8 victory before 23,522 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

It was a wild, entertaining affair - but, as with much of the baseball played this season, one sure to cause purists to wince:

A combined 23 hits, six home runs, three lead changes, nine pitchers.

The Angels, on the way to a season high in runs, got 12 of those hits, and scored nine of their runs on the homers of Tim Salmon, J.T. Snow, Jim Edmonds and Garret Anderson. It was all desperately needed as they rallied to overcome Cleveland leads of 4-0, 5-4 and 8-7.

With the safety of a five-run lead, they entrusted the ninth inning to Lee Smith, who got the side in order. It wasn't a cliffhanging situation, which suggested that Smith has lost the closer's job to Troy Percival, after all.

The Angels have needed a robust offense before.

Last season, while contending in the American League West until the season's final day, they masked a multitude of pitching ills with their thunderous hitting, clubbing 186 home runs in support of a staff whose ERA was no better than 4.52.

In this game - the first turn that Langston was forced to miss since his knee surgery on Tuesday - they provided sock reminiscent of '95.

The most pivotal such example occurred in the fourth inning, when the Angels overcame an 8-7 Cleveland edge with two-run homers by Edmonds and Anderson and an RBI double by Chili Davis.

That boosted the Angels into a 12-8 lead. They widened it to 13-8 on Davis' sacrifice fly an inning later.

The tone for all of this was set early by Springer. He lasted just 10 batters, seven of whom reached base, seven of whom scored.

The Angels had to issue a summons to the bullpen only two batters into the second inning, after Springer issued two walks.

It's difficult to imagine the Angels giving this pitcher another opportunity in the rotation, given the fact his ERA stands at 16.88 after five appearances with the Angels this year.

A more suitable choice is Shawn Boskie - even though he seems to perform much better as a reliever than as a starter. He pitched admirably in emergency relief of Langston last Sunday against Minnesota. In this game, Boskie (4-0) followed Springer and held the Indians in relative check, allowing only three runs over his six innings.

The Angels were faced with a 4-0 deficit before they could even smear the pine-tar rag along the bat handle, but they got it all back in their first turn at the plate.

Salmon's two-run home run off Dennis Martinez in the first was the big blow as the Angels tied it at 4-4.

Snow delivered a three-run homer off Martinez in the second to pull the Angels into a 7-5 lead.

After Cleveland rallied against Boskie to take an 8-7 advantage after 3-1/2 innings, the Angels played longball again in the fourth, as two-run homers were delivered by Edmonds (off Albie Lopez) and Anderson (off Alan Embree).

Still waiting: Third base continues to be a black hole for the Angels. Ever since Doug DeCinces' last season of 1987, bright hope has been dashed there by, in order, Jack Howell, Gary Gaetti, Kelly Gruber, Damion Easley, Eduardo Perez and Tony Phillips. The latest casualty: George Arias.

The rookie was trying to make the jump from Double-A when he started on Opening Day, but on Friday the Angels shipped him and his .184 average to Triple-A Vancouver. Easley, the utility infielder who has been mending a sore right shoulder, was activated off the disabled list to replace him.

``The big thing is, George has to play,'' said Lachemann, who had benched Arias in five of the Angels' previous six games. ``We want to try to get him enough at-bats, get him back to some of the things he's worked on with Rod (Carew, hitting instructor). Get him squared away. He'll be back.''

Arias' departure leaves the Angels with a Tim Wallach-Howell platoon at third. Undoubtedly influencing the decision to demote Arias was the strong play of the two veterans. Entering Friday night's game, they had a combined average of .310, with seven home runs and 12 RBI, and had been solid in the field.