Tyler Chatwood silenced the Dodgers -- well most of them, at least, literally -- for seven innings, and the Angels clubbed two more home runs, leading to a 6-1 win over the Dodgers in the second of three games in this series. It was the sixth straight loss at Dodger Stadium against the Angels by the Dodgers, who are an abysmal 3-8 on their current homestand with one game remaining.
Chatwood retired the first 10 batters of the game, not even allowing a ball out of the infield until Jamey Carroll singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. The single by Carroll snapped a string of 21 straight Dodger batters retired, dating back to Friday night. Chatwood allowed just one run in seven innings
Hiroki Kuroda retired the first eight batters himself and had Chatwood 0-2 before allowing a single up the middle with two outs in the top of the third inning. The hit, Chatwood's second in as many at-bats this season at that point, extended the inning, which saw an RBI triple by Erick Aybar, a walk, and 18 more pitches before Kuroda got out of the jam. Kuroda threw 31 pitches in that frame.
The bottom of the fifth inning was the end of the line for both Kuroda and Matt Kemp. After getting called out on strikes to begin the inning, the fourth called strikeout for Chatwood, Kemp was ejected once he got back in the dugout by home plate umpire Chris Conroy. Manager Don Mattingly said Kemp wasn't cussing or screaming, but that Conroy told Kemp he already had his say when they were at home plate. "It's frustrating to get a guy thrown out from the dugout," Mattingly said, "especially someone people really come to see play."
The Dodgers strung a few hits and walks together in the fifth, scoring one run, and they had the bases loaded with one out when Kuroda was due to bat, so he was removed for a pinch hitter. Marcus Thames, who strained his left calf in last night's game and was expected to be out a few days, was in the on deck circle while A.J. Ellis was batting, but Thames was just a decoy. Instead, Casey Blake was used as a pinch hitter because, as Mattingly said, any ball hit by Thames on the ground would have resulted in a double play.
Thames was also in the on deck circle in the bottom of the seventh and ninth innings, though both times the inning ended before his spot came to bat. "It's hard to play when you're short of guys," Mattingly said after the game, "At this point, I don't think there's any way he can play the field." Mattingly said he and GM Ned Colletti would meet shortly to decide whether or not to place Thames on the DL, and bring somebody up from Albuquerque.
Notes
- The Angels have now won all four interleague series they have played this season, and are 8-3 overall against the National League
- Matt Guerrier recorded just two outs in the eighth inning before getting lifted, and ended up allowing two runs. Guerrier has allowed runs in six of his last 10 appearances, and during that span has allowed 10 hits and nine runs in 8 1/3 innings, with four walks and five strikeouts, a 9.72 ERA
- Hong-Chih Kuo pitched on back-to-back occasions for the second time this year and just the sixth time since the beginning of 2010. He allowed a walk and a three-run home run to Vernon Wells, which essentially put the game away.
- Wells has four home runs in 11 games on the Angels' current road trip.
- The Dodgers will try to salvage a win in the series on Sunday, but luckily they have their best bet scheduled to pitch. Clayton Kershaw will face Jered Weaver in one of the best pitching matchups in baseball this season.
WP - Tyler Chatwood (5-4): 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
LP - Hiroki Kuroda (5-9): 5 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts