ANAHEIM -- The Angels sought a spark, not just one with a power bat, but a powerful flair and a charismatic sense for timing.

And for a few moments after Torii Hunter happily rounded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning after his game-winning grand slam that lifted the Angels to a 6-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians Monday night at Angel Stadium, the Angels were relieved to celebrate and forget their mounting worries.

On a night in which closer Francisco Rodriguez imploded in the ninth inning, with two sore ankles and increasing concerns about his health and effectiveness, Hunter picked a perfect time to do what Rodriguez could not do, namely, save the day.

Hunter also hit a home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Angels a 2-1 lead. Following a disastrous outing in which Rodriguez gave up three runs in one-third of an inning.

Hunter later came to the plate with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth against Cleveland closer Joe Borowski.

Borowski’s second pitch, a poorly placed fastball, left the yard faster than Borowski threw it. Hunter's 10th career grand slam earned his first curtain call as an Angel. As surely as the crowd of 35,014’s displeasure escorted a hobbled Rodriguez out of the game, what was left of it later acknowledged Hunter.

“That's me as a human being,” said Hunter, who hit the team’s first game-winning grand slam since David Eckstein beat Toronto on April 28, 2002. “I've been in the big leagues too long to put any pressure on myself. I want the team to trust me. I want the fans to know me. I'm going to do what I do. Whatever I did in the past, that's what I'm going to be. Ain't gonna be nothing more or nothing less. So I'm excited for this to happen.”

The Angels were thrilled as well, even if manager Mike Scioscia's tempered enthusiasm of adding his All-Star closer to an already stacked pitching disabled list didn’t appeal to him.

“Torii’s always been dangerous, and he’s feeling more comfortable every day,” Scioscia said. “He’s got a great understanding of the pitchers in this league.”

As Hunter took a step forward, Rodriguez regressed. He entered the game with a 2-1 lead, courtesy of Hunter’s home run off Rafael Betancourt, which put starter Joe Saunders in line for his second consecutive victory after the left-hander allowed one run in eight consistent innings.

Rodriguez said before the game that he didn’t think his injured ankle would affect his performance. But he was clearly off from the beginning when he walked Travis Hafner. Victor Martinez doubled to score the tying run, and Jhonny Peralta followed with another RBI double to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead. Scot Shields (1-0) relieved and gave up an RBI single to Casey Blake before pitching out of a bases-loaded jam.

Scioscia said he knew Rodriguez was in trouble immediately.

“You could see with every pitch that he was laboring a little bit more,” Scioscia said. “We might have to sit him for three or four days before we make a decision.”

That decision might come sooner rather than later.

Hunter’s home runs, his ninth career multi-home run game, made Rodriguez’s limp a little easier to stomach, especially after Saunders continued to establish himself.

Saunders scattered four hits in eight innings, walked two and struck out five. He pitched out of trouble in the second and third innings, while the Angels left the bases loaded in the third and fifth innings. Saunders, whose last fastball on his 112th pitch of the night registered 91 mph, seems to have finally earned Scioscia’s trust.

“It was great to see the way he maintained his stuff through a higher pitch count,” Scioscia said.

Hunter maintained his poise and did what he knows how to do. He’ll never say he has a flair for the dramatic. “I’m not going to do that every time,” he said. “I might pop up next time. By the time I walk out that door, I’ll forget all about it.”

But he did acknowledge that it was an ending that will make those who left early regret it.

“I know the fans will be, ‘Man, I missed it!’” Hunter said.