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Rodriguez earns 55th save as Angels top White Sox

Sep 7, 2008 - 10:17 PM By Rory Spears PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Garret Anderson's sacrifice fly kept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from being swept out of the Windy City.

Anderson hit a fly ball just deep enough into foul territory in right field to score Gary Matthews Jr. with the winning run in a 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

Joe Saunders (15-7) earned his first win in his last seven starts, throwing 7 1/3 innings and allowing just four hits. The lefthander struck out four and walked one.

"The main thing today was to go out and eat up innings after playing as many as we did (Saturday) night, " Saunders said, referring to the 15-inning marathon that ended in Chicago's win. "I tried to keep us in the ballgame and salvage a 'W,' and try to keep us from being swept."

All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez, who blew a save opportunity in Saturday's 15-inning setback, redeemed himself with a scoreless ninth to earn his 55th save in 61 opportunities on Sunday. He needs two more to tie Bobby Thigpen's record of 57, set for the White Sox in 1990.

With one out and the bases loaded in the eighth, Anderson lifted a long foul fly down the right-field line. Instead of letting the ball drop for a harmless strike, Jermaine Dye made the catch, allowing Matthews to tag and score the go-ahead run.

"Running to the ball I was thinking of dropping the ball," Dye said. "Unfortunately, it was too close to the (foul) line and, if I let it, fall they might get two runs. It's one of those second-guess situations."

The big blow of the frame was Mark Teixeira's second double of game off Horacio Ramirez (1-4) that moved Matthews into scoring position with no outs.

"It was a day there weren't a lot of hits out there," Teixeira said. "The two doubles I hit were balls that were left up in the zone and I put good swings on them."

Torii Hunter and Juan Rivera added an RBI apiece for the Angels (86-56), who avoided a sweep of the three-game series and lowered their magic number to clinch the American League West Division to four while moving one-half game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays (85-56) for the best record in the AL.

"We are just gaining one game at time," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That is the focus we're are trying to keep."

Paul Konerko broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth, when he hit a 405-foot shot to straightaway center field off Saunders. It was Konerko's 16th home run of the season and his third in as many games.

"I am feeling good at the plate," Konerko said. "Right now, I am trying to look for fastballs and go with the situation in front of me."

Toby Hall built Chicago's lead to 2-0 in the fifth with his second home run of the season.

Los Angeles tied the game 2-2 in the sixth inning, when Hunter's RBI double scored Teixeira and Rivera's infield out scored Vladimir Guerrero.

John Danks started for the White Sox, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing just five hits while striking out seven and walking only one.

"I wanted to stay in there," Danks said. "But it was time for (manager) Ozzie (Guillen) to get me out. I made three bad pitches to good hitters (in the 6th inning) and paid for it."