Angels’ Saunders uses middle men in 1-0 win

MINNEAPOLIS -- To the seemingly endless array of statistics baseball has produced, add this rare one, courtesy of the Angels’ defense Wednesday night: the quadruple-double.

The Angels got superb pitching from left-hander Joe Saunders and four double plays, all started by second baseman Howie Kendrick and turned, often acrobatically, by shortstop Erick Aybar, in a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.

“Our middle infield was awesome, it was fabulous,” said Saunders, who gave up four hits in eight shutout innings, the best start of his big league career.

“Howie was in the hot spot, and Aybar took some good wallops. He did a great job turning those double plays. Oh, man, he’s got an absolute hose.”

Aybar needed every ounce of arm strength to help the Angels keep their lead in the eighth, after Twins designated hitter Craig Monroe led off with a walk.

Monroe took off for second, and Mike Redmond grounded a shot right at Kendrick, who fielded the ball as Monroe bore down on the bag. Kendrick flipped to Aybar, and as Monroe barreled into the shortstop, Aybar relayed a throw to first in time for the double play.

Aybar wound up face first in the dirt cut-out around second, which is where he finished his three other double plays, including the one he turned on Joe Mauer to end the game.

“Aybar was getting hammered,” Kendrick said. “It was nothing dirty. They were trying to break up double plays. I tried to get him the ball as quickly as I could.”

The Angels scratched out a run in the seventh when Kendrick led off with an infield single, took second on Jeff Mathis’ sacrifice bunt, third on Aybar’s groundout and scored on Nick Blackburn’s wild pitch.

It was all the offense Saunders would need. Mixing his sinking fastball with a curve and changeup, Saunders induced 14 ground-ball outs and allowed one runner to reach second, when Nick Punto singled and stole second in the sixth.

Punto took third on Mathis’ throwing error, but Saunders got Brendan Harris to fly to right, ending the inning.

Though Saunders threw only 80 pitches, Manager Mike Scioscia pulled him for closer Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth.

“I really wanted to finish that game more than any I’ve ever had,” said Saunders, who threw four complete games, three shutouts, in the minor leagues. “I’ve never thrown a shutout or complete game in the major leagues. But we have one of the best closers in baseball. This early in the season, I’d rather stay fresh.”

Three games into the season, an Angels rotation that is missing ace John Lackey and No. 2 starter Kelvim Escobar has produced three quality starts, by Jered Weaver, Jon Garland and Saunders.

“Our two horses are down -- we need to put down a foundation of good starts and wins, because they matter now just as much as they do in September,” Saunders said. “We’ve got to pick them up.”

Much like the Angels defense picked up Saunders on Wednesday.

“Those guys,” Scioscia said of his middle infielders, “played as well as you can play.”

As good as the Angels were, Twins first baseman Justin Morneau made the play of the night, robbing Chone Figgins with a nice piece of improvisation in the fifth.

Morneau dived for Figgins’ shot down the line, knocking the ball about 10 feet into foul territory. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the ball with his bare hand near the first-base coach’s box and made a no-look, reverse flip to pitcher Blackburn covering first.

Odd as it was, it wasn’t the first time an Angel has been victimized by such a play.

Former Detroit first baseman Tony Clark made the exact same play to rob Jim Edmonds of a hit in Tiger Stadium in 1996, making a no-look, behind-the-back flip to pitcher Omar Olivares, who caught the ball with his bare hand while stepping on the bag for the out.

“I never thought I’d see that play again,” said outfielder Garret Anderson, the only current Angel who played in 1996, “not from Morneau.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com