Saunders Shines in Rookie Matchup

Justin Verlander is the leading candidate for American League rookie-of-the-year honors, but Angels rookie Joe Saunders matched Detroit’s right-hander pitch for pitch Saturday to keep his team in a game the Angels eventually won, 7-2, in 10 innings.

Saunders, roughed up for 15 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings of his previous three starts, gave up one run and five hits, struck out five and walked none in 7 1/3 innings. Verlander was even better, giving up four hits in seven shutout innings and pitching out of a base-loaded, no-out jam in the second.

“It was fun to match up with Verlander -- I wanted to show some people I could pitch,” Saunders said. “I threw strikes, got ahead and kept the ball down. The biggest thing was getting ahead when I needed to.”

The Angels broke a scoreless tie on Juan Rivera’s one-out, run-scoring single in the eighth, and Saunders yielded to reliever Scot Shields with one out and a runner on first in the bottom of the eighth.

Dmitri Young struck out, but Curtis Granderson reached on an infield single. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Craig Monroe walked, and Marcus Thames dumped a two-run single to center field for a 2-1 lead.

The Angels rallied for an unearned run against closer Todd Jones in the ninth. With two out, Maicer Izturis reached on shortstop Carlos Guillen’s error, Orlando Cabrera reached on an infield single and Vladimir Guerrero blooped a run-scoring single to right field.

The Angels’ 10th-inning rally started with shortstop Neifi Perez’s throwing error, Darin Erstad’s sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to Adam Kennedy. Jeff Mathis singled to load the bases, and Chone Figgins drove a three-run triple to right-center field for a 5-2 lead. Cabrera hit a two-run homer.

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Erstad entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth, making his first appearance since June 17, and had an immediate impact, snagging Ivan Rodriguez’s hard grounder with a runner on second to help thwart Detroit’s ninth-inning rally.

“Just close your eyes and hope it hits your glove,” said Erstad, who has sat out all but five weeks of the season because of a right ankle injury. “It’s worked for me in the past, so I’ll keep doing it.”