Davis Shows He’s Still Got It : Angels: Designated hitter, who went three for four with two RBIs, says he’s starting to feel comfortable at the plate.

ANAHEIM — He’s like the guy who graduates from high school and then stops by the old place a few years later. He retraces the familiar steps. He walks down the same dusty halls. He looks into the cafeteria.

The kids are in there, yukking it up. And it is reinforced: It’s their place now.

At least, that’s the way it has been through the Angels’ first 14 games as Chili Davis was overshadowed by the J.T. Snows, the Tim Salmons, the Chad Curtises and the Damion Easleys.

But during the Angels’ fifth consecutive victory, an 8-5 decision Saturday night against Boston, the veteran showed he can still school ‘em on things such as driving the ball and clutch hitting.

Batting only .233 when the game started, Davis went three for four with two RBIs to contribute heavily to the Angels’ success.

“He got some big hits for us,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said.

Said Davis: “I thought eventually I had to jump off J.T.’s, Chad’s, Salmon’s and Damion’s backs. I told J.T. before the game, ‘You’re going to feel lighter. I’m going to jump off your back.’ ”

Indeed, the Angel bandwagon is getting crowded these days--a cap night crowd of 53,394 witnessed another scene in the Continuing Adventures of Maintaining a Hold on First Place.

Davis stepped into the batter’s box against Red Sox starter John Dopson in the fourth with the Angels trailing, 1-0, and promptly singled to center to drive Curtis home.

Then, he stepped in against Scott Bankhead in the sixth with the Angels behind again, 3-2. This time, he drove a single into right-center to score Snow and tie the score again.

Finally, in the seventh, he stepped in against flame-throwing reliever Ken Ryan Jr. and smacked a fastball into center field. It moved Snow to second and kick-started the Angels toward a three-run inning that finished off the Red Sox.

“I’ve been working on feeling comfortable at the plate and it’s starting to pay off,” said Davis, who was given a day off on Friday against Frank Viola. “You know how it feels when you’re on the ball and hitting it well. You try to stay on the ball and not think too much.

“If you’ve got to make yourself do something, you’re not comfortable. I’ve been making adjustments.”

Part of the problem is that Davis didn’t hit all winter.

“Nah,” he said. “I never do. It’s my off season.”

Davis has had the luxury to work through the rust, though, because of the unexpectedly torrid start of the new guys. Five Angel regulars have less than 2 1/2 years of big league experience and, at 33 and in his second tour of duty with the team, Davis is the old dawg.

He passed out “Chili Dawg” T-shirts in the clubhouse on Opening Day and quietly attempts to provide veteran leadership when needed.

He has one little secret, though. He is enjoying watching the newcomers as much as anybody.

“I think it’s fun for everybody,” said Davis, who is in his 12th year in the majors. “They’ve been playing real exciting baseball. . . .

“A lot is said about the youth on this team, and it’s OK. But I was a rookie once and I played every day. When you’re a rookie, you don’t consider yourself overmatched or inferior. That’s what’s happened here. They feel like they belong.”

Has it rubbed off on Davis?

“If you’ve been in the game long enough,” Davis said, “you don’t need anything to rub off.”