Downing Finally Gets Into the Swing : Angels: Designated hitter walked and scored in the first inning and hit a two-run homer in the fifth to help beat Baltimore.

ANAHEIM — Brian Downing’s already diminished role with the Angels became even more minute when the team acquired outfielder Luis Polonia on April 29. But still, Angel general manager Mike Port insisted the 39-year-old designated hitter remained in good standing.

“He’s still a part of our 25-man cast,” Port said this week.

Downing, however, said he feels more like an outcast.

For nine games, Downing sat on the bench watching the Angels lose six of nine games and fall to sixth place in the American League West.

He didn’t make one plate appearance. The closest he came to the action was a couple of trips to the on-deck circle, but he never made it to the batter’s box.

Downing finally got a chance to brush the cobwebs off his bat Tuesday night and he made the most of the opportunity, walking and scoring in the first inning and slamming a two-run home run in the fifth to help the Angels defeat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-0, at Anaheim Stadium.

“I was a little extra fired up tonight,” said Downing, who increased his batting average up 10 points to .196. “I felt good. I’ve been swinging a bat at home, trying to figure out what was wrong. I felt I had something to work with, but you never know until you get into the fire.”

Downing, batting in his customary lead-off position, ignited the team in the first inning, drawing a walk off Oriole starter Jeff Ballard after starting with an 0-2 count and scoring on Chili Davis’ home run.

In the fifth, Downing smashed a towering, two-run home run to center field, his second of the season, to turn a 3-0 lead into a 5-0 bulge. Downing was happy about his contributions, but he didn’t get overly excited.

“One night doesn’t make a year, just like one game doesn’t make a season,” Downing said. “This was a good night for us. We used a formula that worked for us last year--a shutout and a few home runs--the trick is to do it consistently.”

A week ago, Downing pondered his future as an Angel. Or, rather, his future as an ex-Angel.

“If I knew this (the Polonia trade) was going to happen, I would have retired before the season,” Downing said in Baltimore last week. “I’m just waiting for the ax to fall.”

Suddenly, the term “washed up” had creeped into discussions about Downing, who has a .271 career average in 12 previous seasons with the Angels. Downing heard the talk, and he didn’t like it.

“For people like me who have heard that several times in their lives, it spurs you to new heights,” Downing said. “If you’re a fighter and people say that, it makes you want to shove it up their ...

“Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. You just have to try as hard as you can, and if it works, great. If it doesn’t, you have to tip your hat to them because they’re right.”

No one around the Angel clubhouse was ready to tip their hats Tuesday night. Except to Downing.

“Brian is a proven hitter,” said pitcher Chuck Finley, whose three-hit shutout ended the team’s five-game losing streak. “I don’t know what the deal is with Brian being hurt or not, but everyone knows what he’s capable of doing.”

Chili Davis, who had three hits, including his first-inning homer, was glad to see Downing at the top of the lineup.

“You need that intimidating force and he presents that in the lineup,” Davis said. “He’s not washed up. He still has good power, he’s strong, and he’s patient at the plate. He can start rallies and put a game out of reach with one swing.”

Tuesday night, Downing did both.