Dodgers’ winning ways can’t match those of Angels in 10-1 loss

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There the Dodgers were, cruising along, beating up on the division-leading Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals, claiming the best record in the National League.

And then along came the Angels.

Which more often than not has meant trouble for the Dodgers and good times for the Angels in interleague play.

The Dodgers were 8-2 on their current homestand, the Angels 8-3 on their current road trip.

Since something had to give, it was almost predictable it would be the Dodgers. The Angels lead the all-time series 42-33 and have won six of the last nine at Dodger Stadium.

Sure enough, the Angels claimed control midway into Friday’s game, breaking up a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth on the way to a 10-1 victory.

After that, the Dodgers went weakly against Joel Pineiro (5-6), who did what he was unable to do last year in the playoffs for the Cardinals, shutting down the Dodgers the rest of the way.

Pineiro finished with 15 consecutive outs, which almost managed to match his offensive performance.

The right-hander scored three of the Angels’ runs. It was the first time an Angels pitcher had scored three times in one game since 1962, which was 10 years before the designated hitter came into the American League.

It was only the second time since interleague play began in 1997 that an AL pitcher scored three times in a game.

Pineiro reached first base safely in the third inning after striking out when catcher Russell Martin couldn’t block a pitch in the dirt.

Dodgers starting pitcher Chad Billingsley (6-4) walked him two other times.

-- Steve Dilbeck