St. Petersberg, FL (My Sportsbook) - Kelvim Escobar tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings for his career-best fifth straight winning decision, as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with a 3-0 shutout in a matinee from Tropicana Field.

Escobar (11-3), who has allowed three runs or less in seven of his eight most recent starts, scattered nine hits while fanning five and walking three. Francisco Rodriguez tossed a perfect ninth for his 25th save this season.

"Early on my ball was cutting too much," Escobar said. "After losing the first two we wanted to win today. I feel like I am going to do my best to keep the team in the ballgame."

Garret Anderson finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Angels, who snapped a three-game skid. Gary Matthews Jr. ended 2-for-4 and scored a run in the win.

Carl Crawford ended 3-for-4 for Tampa Bay, which entered this series having lost 16 of its last 18 games but rebounded to take the first two tests of this set.

"The second half of our season is very tough," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "I think when you're playing a level of competition that's that good it raises your play as well."

Andy Sonnanstine (1-5), on a personal streak of five straight losses, gave up three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts over seven innings for Tampa.

LA scored a run in the first when Casey Kotchman lined a lead-off double, advanced to third on Maicer Izturis' groundout, and scored on a groundout by Robb Quinlan.

The Angels put up two more runs in the sixth. Vladimir Guerrero grounded a single, Matthews Jr. doubled him over to third, and both were able to score on a Anderson single for Guerrero's 1,000th career run.

Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the second, but Crawford grounded into a fielder's choice to leave them stranded.

Game Notes

Tampa Bay designated outfielder Dustin Mohr for assignment, optioned Jorge Cantu to Durham, and recalled pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu and pitcher Scott Dohmann from Durham...Crawford stole two bases in the first for 18 consecutive successful attempts but his bid to tie the club record of 19, set in 2003, failed when he was thrown out trying to steal second in the seventh...Los Angeles has won 10 of its last 13 meetings with Tampa Bay, but is just 5-7 in its last 12 games at Tropicana Field. The Devil Rays swept a three-game set from the Angels in St. Petersburg from August 26-28, 2005.