Rodriguez earns 50th save
The umpires didn't need instant replay to reverse a home run call this time because it was so obvious. The Los Angeles Angels did need an eighth-inning rally and Francisco Rodriguez's 50th save to beat the Minnesota Twins, however.
Vladimir Guerrero tied the score with an RBI triple in the eighth, and Gary Matthews Jr. drove him in with another three-base hit two batters later, helping the Angels win 5-3 on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif., to earn a split of the four-game series between AL division leaders.
The Twins were leading 3-2 in the eighth when Jason Kubel hit a high, arching drive down the right-field line that was called a home run by first-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. While Kubel rounded the bases, an incredulous Mike Scioscia came running out of the Angels dugout to argue and implore Wendelstedt to get a second opinion from his crew mates.
It didn't take long for the ruling to be overturned, and Kubel ended up striking out against rookie reliever Jose Arredondo (6-1).
"It was pretty unanimous right from the beginning," said crew chief Randy Marsh, who worked third base. "Nobody likes to reverse one, and I've been involved with some in pretty big situations like that. But when you get the call right, everyone's behind you - the media and the teams on the field."
Management and the ump-ires union signed an agreement Wednesday, leaving a deal with players as the next step to bring instant replay into baseball for the first time to help with calls on home runs.
Arredondo pitched a perfect eighth for the win, helped by the reversal of the home run call by Wendelstedt, and Rodriguez got three outs to put him within 7 saves of Bobby Thigpen's single-season record.
"I would love to get that record. I'm not going to lie to you," Rodriguez said. "In the meantime, it's something I can't control. We've got a long way to go and I'm still looking forward to getting some more opportunities."
Minnesota's Justin Morneau homered and drove in 3 runs to reach the 100-RBI mark for the third straight season. Morneau's two-out RBI single in the first enabled him to join Harmon Killebrew as the only players in franchise history with three consecutive 100-RBI campaigns. Both won the AL MVP award in the first year of their respective streaks.
AL batting leader Joe Mauer extended his career-best hitting streak to 16 games with a third-inning single.
Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 5 (11): Jed Lowrie hit a solo homer in the 11th inning, Dustin Pedroia had a 3-run shot, and Boston won for the 11th time in 16 games on the road, beating Toronto. Coco Crisp also homered for the Red Sox. Jonathan Papelbon (5-3) worked 2 scoreless innings, and Manny Delcarmen closed it out.
National League
Brewers 4, Pirates 3 (12): J.J. Hardy singled in the winning run, and Milwaukee earned its 12th straight home win over Pittsburgh. CC Sabathia got a no-decision instead of a win, for a change, but the Brewers got their 23rd win in their last at-bat and ninth series sweep this season. Milwaukee leads St. Louis by 3 games for the wild card and trails the Cubs by 4 games in the NL Central.
Cardinals 6, Braves 3: Albert Pujols hit a 2-run homer, his eighth hit in 10 at-bats, and host St. Louis handed the Braves their 12th loss in 14 games. Pujols hit his 28th homer in the first, lining a 1-0 fastball down the middle from Jo-Jo Reyes (3-10) into the left field stands.