Rodriguez drives in five in Tigers win over Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) -- Ivan Rodriguez thinks manager Jim Leyland is a major reason why the Detroit Tigers have the best record in baseball.

Rodriguez homered and tied a season-high with five RBI and the Tigers won consecutive games for the first time in two weeks beating the Toronto Blue Jays 10-5 on Sunday afternoon.

Carlos Guillen had three RBI for the Tigers, who won back-to-back games for the first time since winning eight in a row from May 20-27. At 40-23, Detroit has the best record in the majors.

"With the new coaching staff and Jim Leyland as the manager that makes the difference," Rodriguez said. "Everybody around here is doing a little bit."

The Tigers went 3-3 on their six-game trip to Chicago and Toronto.

Rodriguez hit a three-run double as part of a five-run sixth inning, and his two-run homer off Jason Frasor in the eighth gave Detroit a 10-5 lead. Rodriguez fouled off six balls before homering to left center, his fifth.

He finished 3-for-5, the third time this season he's driven in five runs.

"He had a great at-bat against Frasor," Leyland said. "That broke it open. We needed that because these guys are electric, their offense. They hit it over the fence so fast."

Bengie Molina, Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay and Alex Rios homered for the new-look Blue Jays (34-28).

Vernon Wells criticized his team after the game.

"It's been a frustrating year on both sides of the table. We haven't done what it takes to win and that's been frustrating for everybody," Wells said.

Detroit starter Nate Robertson (6-3) struck out a season-high eight and won for the first time in three starts. He allowed four runs and five hits in five-plus innings.

Joel Zumaya pitched three innings for his first career save. Zumaya watched his home country Mexico win in the World Cup before getting the call to pitch.

He reached 102 mph on the radar gun.

"He's tremendous," Rodriguez said. "That arm is unbelievable."

Guillen hit a sacrifice fly in the first, but Molina tied in the second with his homer.

Guillen's two-run single off Toronto starter Ty Taubenheim (0-3) made it 3-1 in the fifth.

Toronto's Edgardo Alfonzo hit an RBI double in the fifth.

But Detroit scored five runs in the sixth on Chris Shelton's RBI single off Francisco Rosario, Omar Infante's run-scoring single off Rosario and Rodriguez's three-run double off Vinnie Chulk.

Glaus and Hillenbrand hit back-to-back homers off Robertson in the bottom half to cut it to 8-4, the sixth time this season Toronto has hit consecutive homers.

Rios added a solo shot off Jason Grilli in the seventh to cut it to 8-5.

Game notes
Toronto RHP A.J. Burnett (sore elbow) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Monday instead of Single-A Dunedin because its expected to rain in Dunedin. ... The teams don't play again until a three-game series in Detroit on Sept. 26-28.