Juan Rivera leads Dodgers past Angels, 5-2
It was an interesting night for a pair of former Angels, Adam Kennedy suffering through a forgettable game and Juan Rivera making it a night to remember.
After Andre Ethier celebrated the $85-million contract he signed earlier Tuesday by singling in the tying run in the eighth, Rivera unloaded a three-run homer to send the Dodgers to a 5-2 victory over the Angels.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia may have gone a little too long with right-hander Jerome Williams, letting him face Ethier in the eighth with two on. Ethier, who had hit Williams hard twice, singled to right to tie the game at 2-2.
Williams threw just one pitch to Rivera. He jumped on it, sending it into the left-field pavilion for his third home run of the season.
The Angels scored the first of their two unearned runs against Aaron Harang in the fourth after Williams doubled to center with one out. Ethier then made a nice running catch in right of a Mike Trout sinking liner.
Torii Hunter walked and Albert Pujols singled, but Angels third base coach Dino Ebel held Williams up at third, leaving the bases loaded for Kendrys Morales, who promptly bounced to Kennedy.
Only instead of getting the third out, Kennedy bobbled the ball for an error and Williams trotted home.
The Dodgers got the run back in the fourth on three consecutive singles by A.J. Ellis, Ethier and Rivera, but the Angels regained the lead with their second unearned run in the sixth.
This time Morales walked to lead off the inning and Mark Trumbo singled him to third. Harang got the next two outs before being plagued by more infield miscues.
Harang was involved in the first. Angels catcher Hank Conger hit a little bouncer to the right of the mound. Harang, not exactly fleet of foot, scampered to field the ball. Rivera, playing first, apparently thought Harang was fast enough to keep going to the bag himself, but he had no chance. And Rivera wasn’t on the bag to take a throw, leaving Conger safe and the bases loaded.
Harang still thought he was out of trouble when he got Williams to bounce to Kennedy, who this time fielded the ball cleanly. He turned to throw to Dee Gordon for the force at second, but Gordon -- apparently thinking Kennedy would throw to first -- had yet to break for the bag.
Kennedy threw to him anyway and Gordon did reach the bag in time, but dropped the ball for an error as Morales scored the go-ahead run.
Harang left after throwing seven innings. He allowed six hits, walked four and struck out five. The only two runs he allowed were unearned.
Jamey Wright (3-2) pitched the eighth, and Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth to earn his 10th save.
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