Dodgers Snap Losing Skid and Tie Up Series in Anaheim

Dodgers 3 4 0

Angels 1 8 2

WP- Capuano (9-2)

LP- Santana (4-8)

S- Jansen (12)

The Dodgers desperately needed a win tonight. After losing four games in a row, being swept by the Oakland A’s, and losing ground to the Giants in the standing things were beginning to look grim. Fear not Dodger fans, Chris Capuano was going to the mound tonight. Capuano has been consistently pitching excellently this season. After another solid 1-run outing, he picked up his ninth win of the year. The Dodgers scored early beytaking advantage of two defensive blunders by the Angels, and then they added another run in the sixth after a Dee Gordon flying triple. A game-saving catch by Elian Herrera in the fifth inning was the difference in the cross-town rival match. Here’s how it played out.

The Dodgers take an early lead in the first inning as Dee Gordon’s speed and a couple of Angel errors give the Dodgers two runs. Gordon leads off with a single to right field off Ervin Santana. He follows up with his 22nd stolen base of the season with Hairston at the plate. Jerry Hairston Jr. hits a grounder to first base, and Albert Pujols throws to third to try to get Dee. The ball gets away on his throwing error, and Dee comes into score. Hairston moves to second on the play. Andre Ethier flies out. Hairston takes third on a wild pitch by Santana. Bobby Abreu‘s grounder is the second out. Juan Rivera grounds into a seemingly routine play, but Maicer Izturis throws very high to Pujols for the second Angel error of the inning. Hairston brings in the second run of the inning for the Dodgers. James Loney strikes out to end the inning. Santana made 27 pitches in the inning as the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead.

Chris Capuano, eight-game winner, takes the mound for the Dodgers in Anaheim. Mike Trout flies out, and Torii Hunter whiffs for the first and second out. Cappy hits Albert Pujols with a pitch. Mark Trumbo grounds out to third, and Pujols is stranded.

Santana strikes out the side in the second inning as Elian Herrera, Juan Uribe, and A.J. Ellis all

whiff consecutively.

Kendrys Morales strikes out swinging to start off the bottom of the second. Howard Kendrick swings at the first pitch and quickly grounds out to short. Izturis pops out in foul territory, and the Halos go down in order.

Dee Gordon strikes out looking, and Santana has now struck out five Dodgers in a row. Hairston flies out to shallow left. Ethier’s deep fly ball out ends the third inning for the Dodgers.

Erick Aybar‘s groundball deflects off Uribe’s glove into left field, and he’s aboard safely to lead off the bottom of the third inning. Aybar moves to second on a passed ball by A.J. Ellis. John Hester flies out to Ethier. Cappy strikes out Trout and Hunter back-to-back to end the frame as the Angels strand Aybar.

Abreu strikes out to begin the fourth inning, and Torii Hunter makes a good catch to rob Rivera of a base hit for the second out. James Loney grounds out yet again for the THIRD OUT.

Albert Pujols leads off with a single to center in the bottom of the fourth. Mart Trumbo grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. Morales grounds out, and Cappy pitches another scoreless inning.

Herrera and Uribe strike out in the fifth. A.J. Ellis grounds out, and Santana has now retired 13 Dodgers in a row.

The Angels get on the board in the fifth. Kendrick leads off with a double, and he moves to third on a Izturis groundout. Aybar singles, and Kendrick brings in the first Angel run of the game. 2-1 Dodgers. Hester also singles, and Rick Honeycutt goes out to the mound to talk to Capuano. Gordon makes a nice stop on a groundball by Trout, but he beats out the throw at first so it’s only a force out. Elian Herrera makes a very nice catch up against the wall on a deep fly ball by Hunter to end the inning and the damage to 1 Angel run.

Dee Gordon triples over Trumbo’s head to lead off the sixth inning. Hairston singles sharply to Izturis who can’t handle the ball, and it gets away from him. Gordon scores on the play. 3-1 Dodgers. Ethier singles, and the Dodgers now have runners at first and second with nobody out. Abreu strikes out for the second time tonight. Juan Rivera grounds into an inning ending double play, and the Dodgers are only able to tack on one more run.

In the Angels’ half of the sixth, Pujols leads off with a single. Trumbo pops out, and Morales grounds into an inning ending DEE-ble play.

Loney goes 0 for 3 after he begins the seventh inning with a pop out. Herrera is called out on an attempted bunt single as he slides into first on a very close play. He looked safe to me. Uribe grounds out, and he is also 0 for 3 on the night as well.

Kendrick hits a lead-off single in the bottom of the seventh. Cappy gets Izturis to line out and Aybar to fly out. Don Mattingly goes out to talk to Cappy, and he decided to leave him in for the last out. Cappy gets the final out of the inning with a fly ball from Hester. Great job, Cappy!

Chris Capuano pitched 7 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 run, no walks, and 4 strikeouts on 96 pitches.

The Dodgers go down quickly in order  in the eighth inning.

Ronald Belisario comes in to pitch the bottom of the eighth in relief for the Dodgers. Trout starts it off with a single, and he steals second. Beli strikes out Hunter, and that’s Hunter’s third whiff of the night. Pujols is retired for the first time tonight on a broken bat groundball. Trumbo makes the third out by hitting a comebacker to Belisario, and the Angels waste the lead-off Trout single.

Hisanori Takahashi comes into relieve Santana for the top of the ninth. Ethier goes down on strikes against the lefty. Abreu grounds out, and Rivera pops up for outs two and three.

Ervin Santana pitched 8 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 runs, no walks, and 10 strikeouts on 111 pitches.

Kenley Jansen comes into pitch the bottom of the ninth. After 7 pitches, Morales can’t hold up and is called out on strikes. Kendrick hits a slow roller in front of the mound, and Jansen picks it up and throws a strike to Loney to get the second out. Izturis grounds out, and the Dodgers get the win!

The Dodgers are now 43-29, and they preserve their three-game lead in the standings over the Giants. Tomorrow the rubber game will play out at 12:35 pm as Aaron Harang and Garrett Richards battle it out at the Big A. Tomorrow will also be the Dodgers’ last Interleague game for the season. Good night!