ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Garret Anderson hit a grand slam in the 11th inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 Tuesday night for their eighth straight victory.

Anderson pulled a line drive into the first row of seats in the right-field stands for his ninth homer. It was his seventh career slam, his first since May 8, 2003, and it came on an 0-1 pitch from Brian Shouse, a left-handed reliever brought in specifically to face him.

The Angels loaded the bases with none out against Kameron Loe (0-1). Chone Figgins had a leadoff single before Darin Erstad doubled and Vladimir Guerrero, who has a hit in all 29 career games he’s played against the Rangers, was intentionally walked.

Los Angeles began its winning streak with a three-game sweep of the second-place Rangers last week. The Angels have an 81/2-game lead in the AL West with two more games to play in Texas this week.

Guerrero’s RBI double in the first inning extended his hitting streak against the Rangers. But he grounded out to start the ninth against Francisco Cordero, who then struck out Anderson and Juan Rivera.

The Rangers, who have lost eight of nine, had two on with one out in the ninth against Scot Shields before Laynce Nix grounded out and Rod Barajas popped out.

Brendan Donnelly (6-2) retired the top three hitters in Texas’ lineup in the 10th, and Francisco Rodriguez worked the 11th.

Michael Young hit his 11th homer in the first, the only run allowed by Angels starter Jarrod Washburn.

The left-hander went seven innings to lower his ERA to 3.21 before leaving after 101 pitches – 71 of them strikes. He scattered seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Texas’ John Wasdin allowed just five hits over eight innings in place of Kenny Rogers, his first eight-inning outing since June 30, 1996, for Oakland against the Angels.

Rogers has a broken bone in his non-pitching hand. The 40-year-old left-hander pitched with the small break last week in Los Angeles and gave up six runs, 10 hits and three walks in 3 1-3 innings.

Just as in their 13-3 victory Monday night and every game of a three-game series sweep last week, the Angels went ahead in the first.

Erstad had a one-out single before Guerrero’s double for his 29-game hitting streak against the Rangers – all since signing with the Angels as a free agent before last season.

It is the longest hitting streak by a player against one team since Ryan Klesko hit in 29 straight against the Houston Astros while playing for Atlanta and San Diego from 1999-02.

Notes: Rogers was the AL ERA leader at 2.46 going into the night, but Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox lowered his to 2.42 after giving up just one run over 6 2-3 innings against Detroit. … Washburn has nine no-decisions in 16 starts this season. He went seven scoreless innings to beat Texas last week, his only decision in six games. … Nix had five putouts and an assist from center field in the first three innings. He started an inning-ending double play in the third when he caught Erstad’s deep fly and threw out Figgins, who never tagged up at first base. … Wasdin has allowed just three runs over 21 innings in six appearances this season.

AP-ES-06-28-05 2326EDT


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