Kendrick makes first start, lifts Angels to 11th win in 12

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Howie Kendrick struggled the first time he came up from the minors. He's off to a flying start the second time around.

Just two days after getting recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, Kendrick doubled twice and singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels take a 7-5 victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The win was the Angels' sixth straight and 11th in 12 games as they climbed over .500 (46-45) for the first time since April 28.

Kendrick, who turned 23 last Wednesday, is considered one of the organization's most promising young hitters. He was pleased to have a hand in their latest victory with a 3-for-4 performance.

"I kind of know what to expect now," he said. "The first time up was a terrific teacher. I went back and worked on some things in the minors.

"The first time I was up here, I went 3-for-26. This time, I've helped win a game."

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia was impressed.

"He got some big hits," Scioscia said. "I think he's more confident than he was his first go-round. The last time, he was swinging at pitches the pitchers wanted him to.

"Now he's being more selective."

After Kendrick's single against Chad Harville in the eighth, he scored on Jose Molina's double.

Scot Shields (5-6) shut out Tampa Bay for 1 2/3 innings to get the win. Harville (0-2) gave up two runs and three hits in the eighth.

Francisco Rodriguez needed only seven pitches, all strikes, in a perfect ninth to earn his 22nd save in 24 chances.

Garret Anderson singled to lead off the eighth for Los Angeles, and Erick Aybar ran for Anderson and advanced on a wild pitch. He scored on Kendrick's one-out single to left.

Angels starter Bartolo Colon allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, with six strikeouts and two walks. Tampa Bay's Casey Fossum gave up five runs, three earned, in 5 2/3 innings.

Julio Lugo's RBI double off J.C. Romero, and Jorge Cantu's run-scoring single against Shields pulled the Devil Rays even at 5 in the seventh.

Los Angeles rallied to take the lead on Robb Quinlan's two-run single that chased Fossum in the sixth, and Kendrick greeted Shawn Camp with an RBI double later in the inning to make it 5-3.

After Orlando Cabrera doubled to lead off the sixth for the Angels, Fossum intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero. Both runners advanced on a double steal, then Juan Rivera walked to load the bases. Fossum struck out Anderson before Quinlan singled to left. Cabrera scored, and Guerrero came in when catcher Dioner Navarro couldn't hang on to left fielder Carl Crawford's throw after a collision with Cabrera.

Rivera tried to sneak home while the ball was on the ground, but Fossum picked it up and tagged him out.

Los Angeles' first two runs against Fossum were unearned, coming after Lugo's throwing error forced a close play at first and led to the ejection of Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon and first baseman Travis Lee in the fifth inning.

Maddon charged onto the field, confronted first base umpire Marty Foster and kept jawing at him after the ump called Quinlan safe. Lee had to leap to grab Julio Lugo's high throw on Quinlan's grounder to short, and Lee appeared to tag Quinlan before he reached the bag.

Maddon was tossed immediately, then Lee was ejected when he continued arguing following Kendrick's double that advanced Quinlan to third.

"The guy should have been out. I hammered him pretty good. But they missed another one, so what can you do?" Lee said. "We were just asking Marty to ask the home plate umpire to see if he had a better view. That's all."

A couple of controversial calls at first base cost the Devil Rays the previous game, and Maddon said: "I don't know if they got in our heads, but I thought we were frustrated by the whole thing. When you feel as though some things are conspiring against you, you always get that feeling -- especially when you're on the road.

"I do believe in keeping your composure, but there were just so many close situations that went the other way this whole series, and I think that's probably what tipped it for our guys."

Game notes
After the game, the Angels assigned Aybar to Salt Lake to clear a roster spot to call up RHP Dustin Moseley on Monday. Moseley is make his first major league start that night against Cleveland. He will start in place of rookie RHP Jered Weaver, who will miss his turn because of tendinitis in his pitching shoulder. ... Maddon, who spent the previous 12 years as a coach with the Angels before taking the Devil Rays job, has been ejected three times this year, once when Los Angeles visited Tampa Bay.