BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Boskie Faces Another Pressure Start

Shawn Boskie pitched in Baltimore the night Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record Sept. 6. He started the first of a crucial two-game series at Seattle Monday. Biggest Game of My Life III is tonight, when the right-hander starts against Oakland in a game the Angels need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“I really enjoy these situations,” said Boskie, 7-7 with a 5.48 earned-run average this season. “I’m nervous but in a good way. It doesn’t paralyze me.

“Pressure is how you perceive things around you, and if you perceive it as a life and death situation it can be debilitating. If you perceive it as a challenge, it can be fun.”

Boskie hasn’t had much fun in these pressure situations. He gave up three home runs in five innings in a 4-2 loss to the Orioles, and three runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings in a 10-2 loss to the Mariners Monday. He’s 1-5 with a 7.48 ERA this month and a career 2-11 with a 7.57 ERA in September.

Three days ago, Manager Marcel Lachemann was wavering on his choice for tonight’s starter, but he decided to stick with Boskie because of his potential--if he’s on--to dominate.

Boskie has been inconsistent for much of the season, but he has made several outstanding starts, including a complete-game, five-hit victory over the Chicago White Sox Sept. 11.

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First, pitcher Mark Langston lost a front tooth while chewing gum in Seattle’s Kingdome Wednesday. Now, reliever Troy Percival has come down with a mysterious malady. In layman’s terms, “My jaw is out of whack,” Percival said.

“My doctor said it’s probably from grinding my teeth in my sleep,” said Percival, whose overpowering fastball helped the Angels beat Seattle Wednesday and Oakland Thursday night. “Every time I pitch I have a big pain in my ear. It hurts when I eat. That’s why I’m a miserable person right now . . . but my arm’s fine.”

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Funeral services for William Frederick Lachemann, the father of Marcel Lachemann and bullpen Coach Bill Lachemann, will be today at 11 a.m. at Inglewood Cemetery and Mortuary, across from the Forum.

Lachemann, a former chef who was living in a Laguna Hills retirement community, was 95. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Children’s Hospital of Orange County.