07:47 AM EDT on Friday, June 4, 2004

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Disneyland was only a few blocks away.

But Anaheim outfielder Vladimir Guerrero turned Angel Stadium into his own personal fantasyland Wednesday night, unleashing a jaw-dropping, record-setting offensive fireworks show that propelled the Angels past the Boston Red Sox, 10-7.

Guerrero went 4-for-4. But that was the mundane part.

The dazzling part was that he crushed two homers, a double and a single, with a sacrifice fly thrown in, totaling a mind-boggling nine RBI, a franchise record.

And it wasn't as if Guerrero's big night came at the expense of a rookie or a journeyman pitcher. Much of the damage -- the first five RBI -- came at against three-time Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez.

Guerrero crunched a hanging breaking ball for a two-run homer in the first off the Sox' erstwhile ace, who, while he didn't figure in the decision, gave up seven earned runs in five-plus innings, inflating his earned-run average from 3.82 to 4.40.

Guerrero victimized Martinez for a first-pitch, two-run double in the third, again off a hanging breaking ball. And he lined a sacrifice fly to right to deliver another run off Martinez in the fourth.

But Guerrero was on fire no matter who was on the mound.

Guerrero, who signed a five-year, $70-million deal with the Angels last winter, rocketed a three-run blast off Mike Timlin in the sixth that vaulted Anaheim from a two-run deficit into an 8-7 lead. And he broke a tie with four other Angels by recording his ninth RBI, ripping a run-scoring single off Keith Foulke in the seventh.

Martinez, who took Guerrero into his apartment, cooking for him and helping him learn how to dress as a big leaguer when his countryman from the Dominican Republic joined the right-hander in Montreal, was not shocked.

"It didn't really surprise me to see that act from Vlady," said Martinez. "He's the total package. I always dreamed about seeing him like this."

"This guy is ridiculous," added Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, another friend of Guerrero's from the Dominican.

"There's no way to pitch to him," added Ortiz, who lost the American League RBI lead to Guerrero.

"The law of averages is that eventually we'll get him out," said catcher Jason Varitek, with a wry chuckle. "He's special, though."

And there was no way to pitch around him last night.

Guerrero, of course, needed help from his teammates in order to drive in nine runs. And he got it from the top two hitters in the lineup, David Eckstein and Chone Figgins.

Eckstein went 5-for-5, establishing a career high for hits. Figgins went 3-for-4 with a walk. The duo combined to score six runs. The top three in the order, counting Guerrero, went an astounding 12-for-13. Eckstein claimed the Angels' other RBI.

"As amazing a night as it was, it only happens because their first and second hitters were on base 9 out of 10 times," said Boston manager Terry Francona. "Those kind of nights don't happen unless the other hitters are getting on base."

Many of those hitters were getting on base at the expense of Martinez. The right-hander surrendered 11 hits, marking only the sixth time in his career he had been tagged for 11 or more hits. The last time came July 18, 1999, when the Florida Marlins tattooed him for 12.

It was the eighth time he had given up seven or more earned runs in a game, though it's the second time this season. Baltimore roughed him up for seven earned runs on April 15.

"I'm struggling, no excuses," said Martinez. "I'm missing location a lot with my breaking ball. The good news is, I'm healthy. I'll have to find my way out of it in the bullpen, make some adjustments (between starts)."

Despite the dreadful numbers for a pitcher of such quality, Martinez did have one shining inning.

In the fifth inning, after Jeff DaVanon and Raul Mondesi opened with hits, putting runners at second and third with none out, Martinez looked like his old self.

Rearing back to find fastballs from his dominant years, Martinez whiffed Casey Kotchman, retired Bengie Molina on a popup to second and got some help from shortstop Pokey Reese, who made a sterling play on Adam Kennedy's chopper over the mound.

It took Martinez only 12 pitches to get out of that jam, preserving Boston's 7-5 lead. And eight of those pitches were fastballs in the 92-mile-an-hour range.

"I thought in the fifth inning he flat-out competed," said Francona. "He was not going to let them score. Since I've been here, that inning is the best I've seen him throw the ball."

Martinez, who had an extra day of rest heading into this start, issued a leadoff single and a walk in the sixth, which finished his night, after 108 pitches. Timlin and Foulke, though, weren't better alternatives.

Timlin was croaked for four hits, including the three-run homer by Guerrero on a sinker that didn't sink until it cleared the wall in left-center.

"It was in the middle of the plate. You can't pitch in the middle of the plate in this league," said Timlin. "I was bad. I got beat up."

Foulke coughed up two hits, boosting the Angels' final total to 17.

"They swing the bats real well," said Varitek. "Everything they hit soft fell in. Everything they hit hard fell in."

And the Angels pitched well out of the bullpen, picking up the slack from seven-game winner Jarrod Washburn, who coughed up Boston's seven runs in only 3 1/3 innings.

Francisco Rodriguez put the finishing touches on it, fanning Manny Ramirez, who had homered earlier, for the final out on a blazing fastball, after buckling his knees with a deadly curve for strike two.

The net result was a sweep of the two-game series for the Angels, which dropped Boston two games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East, the Red Sox' biggest divisional deficit of the season. The Yankees won yesterday, increasing the lead to 2 1/2 games.