ANGELS FIND BIG BOOST : IT COMES FROM BOSKIE ANGELS 8, BALTIMORE 3.

Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer

In case there were any lingering doubts, right-hander Shawn Boskie is now entrenched in the Angels' starting rotation.

He turned in his third straight solid performance to pick up the win in the Angels' 8-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday before 35,350 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

In eight innings, Boskie (7-1) gave up three runs on seven hits to equal a career-high for victories in a season and make his earlier banishment to the bullpen a distant memory.

``I really tried to take the mind set of a reliever out there,'' said Boskie. ``When I get in the funk of preparing for a start I take a step back and remember to take an aggressive attitude toward the first batter.''

Boskie was dumped from the rotation after blowing an eight-run lead against Seattle on April 15. Given another chance after Dennis Springer failed miserably to fill the void when Mark Langston underwent knee surgery, Boskie has come through.

His ERA had ballooned to 9.53 after his third start of the season, when the coaching staff was prompted to make him a reliever. But now he's won three straight games and has lowered his ERA to 3.92 in games he's started.

The difference is a more effective breaking ball that allows him to set up hitters for his fastball and the ability to not get rattled, he said.

The Orioles rallied for three runs in the fifth, but Boskie retired 10 batters in a row after the final run crossed.

``That inning would have snowballed earlier (in the season),'' Angels manager Marcel Lachemann said. ``They got three runs but he went on. He showed an ability to calm himself down.''

Said Boskie: ``A lot has to do with (catcher) Don Slaught. He's a veteran catcher. His maturity and ability to call a game has helped me a lot. It eliminates my thinking. I just trust him. . . . I just throw the pitch he calls.''

About the only thing Boskie did wrong was hit ironman Cal Ripken with a pitch. It struck Ripken's left forearm, but he was not hurt, causing Boskie to breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, nobody wants to be responsible for causing the injury that stops Ripken's all-time record of consecutive games played, which reached 2,204 Saturday.

``After it happened I said, `Oh no,' '' Boskie said. ``But I didn't think about it too much. I'm sure he's been hit before.''

Boskie got help from a surprising source. Gary DiSarcina, the team's No. 9 hitter who entered with a .207 average, went 4 for 4, including a home run and single to lead an eight-run third inning. DiSarcina's three-run blast to left was his first home run since July 16, 1995.

``The first part of the season I was lost up there, I had no plan,'' DiSarcina said. ``When Rod (Carew, the team's hitting coach) came back is when I started bearing down mentally.''

Said Lachemann: ``We know he can hit because we've seen him hit. It's just a question of getting the confidence back.''

Tim Salmon had a bases-loaded double and Slaught and Randy Velarde each had RBI singles during the monstrous inning as the Angels took an 8-0 lead.

Tim Wallach pinch-hit for Davis, the designated hitter, in the seventh because Davis complained of tight hamstrings. Lachemann said Davis is day to day.