Dodgers Take Game 1 Of Freeway Series Vs. Angels
ANAHEIM (AP) — Scott Van Slyke had four hits and drove in four runs, and Zack Greinke pitched six innings of seven-hit ball before the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen hung on for a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Pinch-hitter Justin Ruggiano had a two-run double as the Dodgers opened the Freeway Series with their seventh straight victory over their Orange County rivals.
Although Greinke (16-3) saw his majors-best ERA rise to 1.68 after giving up homers to C.J. Cron and Kole Calhoun, the right-hander still earned his 11th win in 13 starts.
The Dodgers have won 12 of 14 overall to take a commanding 8 1-2-game lead over slumping San Francisco in the NL West.
Albert Pujols had three hits for the Angels, who had won four of five.
Mike Trout went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, extending the AL MVP's slump to 18 for 69.
The clubs combined to use 14 relievers in their rivalry series opener.
Kenley Jansen gave up Calhoun's infield single leading off the ninth, but struck out Trout and Pujols on the way to his 30th save.
Van Slyke had the most prolific offensive game of his career, even if two of those hits and three RBIs came on high-bouncing infield grounders that weren't played sharply by the Angels. He got a two-run double when reliever Trevor Gott deflected a seventh-inning chopper with his glove into left field, and three fielders couldn't make a play on his RBI infield single in the eighth.
Greinke was fairly effective against his former team, only to watch while six Dodgers relievers barely survived. The Dodgers pounded out 16 hits, but stranded 15 runners.
Greinke allowed multiple homers for the second time in four starts. Cron hit his 11th homer in the second inning, and Calhoun evened it at 3-3 with his 22nd homer in the bottom of the fifth.
Ruggiano drove in two runs on the first pitch after Jose Alvarez replaced Angels starter Nick Tropeano in the fifth. Tropeano yielded eight hits and three runs in a spot start for Matt Shoemaker, who has forearm tightness.
The Dodgers got three singles in the sixth against Fernando Salas (3-2) before Adrian Gonzalez drove in Van Slyke with the tiebreaking run on a long fly to center.
The Dodgers used four relievers in the seventh alone while the Angels scored on Pujols' RBI single and Jim Johnson's bases-loaded wild pitch.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: C Yasmani Grandal was scratched with a sore left shoulder. He will have an MRI while sitting out for a few games. ... SS Jimmy Rollins sat out with a jammed finger on his right hand. Rollins will have X-rays.
Angels: Pujols had an MRI on his sore right foot, but played anyway. ... Shoemaker's arm feels better, but he isn't certain when he'll return to the rotation.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (12-6, 2.18 ERA) completes the 1-2 punch. The reigning NL MVP has a 0.90 ERA and seven wins in his last 10 starts.
Angels: Rookie LHP Andrew Heaney (6-2, 3.18 ERA) makes his 14th start of an impressive season.
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