Angels 3, Dodgers 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jason Vargas threw seven solid innings to conclude his strong month, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night at Angel Stadium.
Vargas gave up two runs and five hits to improve to 5-0 with a 2.30 ERA in May, marking the first time an Angels pitcher won five games in May since 1996, when Shawn Boskie did it.
The Angels and Dodgers split their four-game series, the Angels winning both of their home games after the Dodgers won two at Dodger Stadium.
Left-hander Ted Lilly (0-2) kept the Dodgers in the game, but it wasn't good enough. He gave up three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Garrett Richards (eighth inning) and Ernesto Frieri (ninth inning, 12th save) finished it off for the Angels in relief of Vargas (5-3).
Ramon Hernandez hit a double and a home run, for the Dodgers, who had six hits in all. Howie Kendrick, Chris Nelson and J.B. Shuck each had two hits for the Angels.
The game was tied at 2 going into the bottom of the sixth inning when Kendrick doubled and stole third. With two outs, Chris Iannetta worked a walk, and that was all for Lilly. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly brought in Ronald Belisario to face Nelson, who was making his first start of the season for the Angels since being claimed off waiver from the Yankees.
Nelson hit a sharp comebacker that Belisario couldn't handle. The infield single scored Kendrick to give the Angels a 3-2 lead.
Carl Crawford opened the game with a triple into the right field corner off Vargas, and he scored on Adrian Gonzalez's sacrifice fly. The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning, but Vargas escaped when he retired Crawford on a fly to left.
The Angels tied the game at 1 in their half of the second inning, Iannetta's two-out double scoring Kendrick.
The Angels took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning when Kendrick tripled and scored on a single by Alberto Callaspo. The Dodgers tied the game at 2 in the top of the fifth on a solo homer by Hernandez.
NOTES: Dodgers CF Matt Kemp was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring. He injured the hamstring chasing down a drive to the right-center-field gap hit by the Angels' Mike Trout in Wednesday's game. The injury is not believed to be as serious as the left hamstring injury that kept Kemp out for two months last season. ... Andre Ethier started in center field Thursday with Kemp sidelined. It was Ethier's second career start in center. ... The Dodgers are likely to call up Tony Gwynn Jr. from Triple-A Albuquerque sometime this weekend to play center field in Kemp's absence. Gwynn is hitting .288 for the Isotopes. ... Angels RF Josh Hamilton was scratched from the lineup because of back spasms. It is the second time in three days Hamilton was in the original lineup only to be a late scratch because of back trouble. Mark Trumbo started in right field.
