|
|
|
|
 |
|
Scores Schedules Standings Statistics Transactions Injuries: AL | NL Players Weekly Lineup Message Board Minor Leagues MLB Stat Search Clubhouses |
| Sport Sections |
|
|
| |
Friday, Jul. 14 10:10pm ET
Erstad (3 hits) smacks 3-run dinger | |||||
|
| ||||||
|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- If Darin Erstad can duplicate his first-half numbers, the Anaheim Angels' publicity-shy outfielder won't be able to avoid the spotlight anymore. Erstad, whose 144 hits at the All-Star break were the most since Ralph Garr's 149 for Atlanta in 1974, increased his total to 147 with three on Friday night. The third was a two-run homer off Kevin Brown that put the Angels ahead for good in a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I'm not trying to match anything. That's something you can't even think about," said Erstad, hitting .383 with 18 homers and 68 RBIs. "You're talking to a guy who hit .253 last year, and a guy who has stunk in the second half of the season the last two years. So I'm just trying to go out there and remain consistent. I'm not trying to break any records. I'm just trying to help the team win." Kent Bottenfield (6-7), allowed to bat in the top of the seventh by manager Mike Scioscia despite being down by a run, improved his career record against the Dodgers to 6-0 despite allowing two solo homers to Gary Sheffield. The right-hander allowed three runs and three hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking none for only the second time in 18 starts. It was the first time he won consecutive starts since April 30-May 5. It also marked just the second time Bottenfield pitched at least seven innings in back-to-back outings since joining the Angels in a trade that sent All-Star center fielder Jim Edmonds to St. Louis. Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his 21st save in 26 chances. He walked two, but was bailed out with a game-ending double-play by Shawn Green. The biggest play of that inning, however, was a diving catch in right-center by Erstad, who robbed Paul LoDuca of extra bases. "Scioscia's been saying from day one to give your maximum effort, be aggressive, and if you screw up, you screw up," said Erstad, who shifted from left field to center in the eighth inning after Garret Anderson was forced out because of irritation in his right shin. "I had a pretty good jump on it and a good read. I just had a good feeling that I was going to catch it." Troy Glaus triggered the pivotal rally with his 27th homer and second in two nights, leading off the seventh with a drive halfway up the left-field pavilion that trimmed the Dodgers' lead to 3-2. Two outs later, Bottenfield got his second consecutive single and scored when Erstad drove a 1-1 pitch down the right-field line for his 18th homer. "Obviously we weren't expecting him to line a base hit to right field," Scioscia said. "But he was still pitching well. And with two outs, no one on and two innings to go, I felt pretty comfortable that we could get some pretty good cracks the next inning with the top of the order coming up." Brown (8-3) finished the seventh, but removed himself after straining a muscle in his shoulder on a first-pitch strike to Mo Vaughn leading off the eighth. The All-Star right-hander was charged with four runs and nine hits in seven-plus innings -- only the second time Brown has yielded more than three earned runs in 18 starts this season. Manager Davey Johnson told reporters that pitching coach Claude Osteen knew about the discomfort in Brown's shoulder since his previous start at San Diego. But Osteen didn't bother telling Johnson until the fifth inning. "That's the kind of leader Kevin is. He wasn't 100 percent, but he was out there for us," said second baseman Alex Cora, whose sixth-inning triple was the only hit Bottenfield allowed besides Sheffield's homers. "That's the kind of player you want on your team. Kevin gives everything for the cause." Onan Masaoka relieved and gave up a double to Vaughn, who scored Anaheim's fifth run on Anderson's double. Sheffield homered his first two times up against Bottenfield, whose 21 home runs allowed are the most on the Angels. The second one gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the fourth. It was Sheffield's fifth homer against Anaheim in 13 at-bats, after hitting only five in 141 previous at-bats against the Angels. Sheffield's second home run enabled the six-time All-Star to reach the 30-homer mark for the fourth time in his 13-year career. It was his third in two games, following an eight-game drought. Glaus doubled in the second inning, advanced on a groundout and came home on Matt Walbeck's two-out single that tied the score at 1. Game notesThe crowd of 53,115 was the Dodgers' fourth home sellout of the season. ... Kevin Stocker, whose 175 career at-bats against the Dodgers are more than twice as many as anyone else on the Angels, went 0-for-4 against Brown and is hitless in 16 career at-bats against the Dodgers' ace. ... Sheffield also homered twice against Anaheim's Brian Cooper on June 3 in an 8-3 victory at Edison Field. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Anaheim Clubhouse Los Angeles Clubhouse RECAPS NY Mets 6 Boston 4
Anaheim 5
| |||||