TORONTO — In a building where so much has gone wrong for the Los Angeles Angels, something went right. In fact, so much went right Tuesday night that you wondered whether those Rogers Centre demons that usually haunt the Angels were on some Canadian holiday.
The Toronto Blue Jays loaded the bases with no one out in the eighth inning and didn’t score. Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez, who hadn’t issued a walk in his previous seven outings, walked the bases loaded with one out in the ninth.
But Rodriguez got Aaron Hill to pop to third and struck out No. 3 hitter Alex Rios looking at a full-count fastball — the reliever’s 33rd pitch of the inning — to preserve a nail-biter of a 3-1 victory for the Angels, only their 19th win in 57 games in Toronto since 1996.
“The end was a little interesting,” said Angels starter John Lackey, who gave up one run and seven hits in seven innings for his first win of the season. “But we got it done.”
Barely. Scot Shields replaced Lackey to start the eighth and gave up a single to Hill and walked Rios. Scott Rolen hit a potential double-play grounder that third baseman Robb Quinlan missed — the play was generously ruled a hit — to load the bases.
Shields struck out Matt Stairs looking at a tailing, knee-high fastball on the inside corner, and Shannon Stewart hit a sharp grounder right at second baseman Sean Rodriguez, who started an inning-ending double play.
On came reliever Rodriguez, who got Lyle Overbay to ground out to open the ninth and then turned the inning into an Aerosmith song: “Walk This Way.”
Rodriguez lost command of his fastball, slider and changeup. He walked Gregg Zaun, Marco Scutaro and Brad Wilkerson, who homered off Lackey leading off the first.
After taking ball one, Hill popped out. Rios took three balls, then two called strikes, and fouled off two pitches before looking at what Rodriguez called “a fastball, right down the middle” for strike three, giving the closer his major league-leading 18th save.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
