Saunders’ Numbers Are Like Night and Day

Joe Saunders might want to avoid looking at the stat sheet. The numbers may just confuse the Angels rookie left-hander, who gave up one run and seven hits and had a career-high eight strikeouts to lead the Angels to a 5-2 win over Kansas City on Tuesday night.

Saunders has made three of his last seven starts on regular (four days) rest, going 0-3 with a 23.76 earned-run average in those games. In four starts with an extra day of rest, including Tuesday night’s, he is 2-0 with an 0.98 ERA. Saunders is 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA in eight night games and 1-2 with a 10.66 ERA in three day games.

“I don’t know what it is, whether it’s five days’ rest or night and day,” Saunders said. “I’m a work in progress, I guess.”

Tuesday night was a step forward. Saunders pitched out of several jams, inducing a double-play grounder with two on to end the third inning and striking out Emil Brown and Ryan Shealy with the bases loaded to end the fifth.

“He pitched like a young Kenny Rogers, with a little more on his fastball,” Kansas City designated hitter Mike Sweeney said. “He threw fastballs in changeup counts and changeups in fastball counts. He was tough.”

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Vladimir Guerrero ended a 1-1 tie with a home run to center field against starter Jorge De La Rosa in the sixth inning, giving the Angels slugger 30 home runs, the eighth time in his last nine seasons that he has reached that mark.

Guerrero, who is batting .327 with 111 runs batted in, is also closing in on his 10th consecutive season batting .300 or better, the longest current stretch in the big leagues.

“He’s as good a hitter as there is in the game,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Not only does he put up numbers, he’s clutch. He gets hits in key situations. He’s been fun to watch.”

Robb Quinlan hit a homer in the second inning. The Angels tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh inning, on Howie Kendrick’s run-scoring double and Mike Napoli’s run-scoring single, and one in the eighth on Garret Anderson’s run-scoring single.

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Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez needed 37 pitches to record his 43rd save, surviving two walks and an infield single and striking out Brown on a full-count pitch with the bases loaded to end the game. Rodriguez is closing in on Bryan Harvey’s franchise record of 46 saves, set in 1991.

“What can I say? I would love to get it,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully, I will have that opportunity. It’s not in my mind, but if I do it, it would be great.”

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Kansas City second baseman Mark Grudzielanek suffered a right groin strain while legging out an infield single and left in the third inning.... The Angels are 12-2 in their last 14 games in Kauffman Stadium.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com