The Dodgers were losing 6-1 in the third inning on Monday against their Anaheim rivals. The Angels were riding an eight-game winning streak and knocked Dodgers starter, Zach Greinke, out of the game in just four innings.
Things were looking grim for the Dodgers until they broke things open with a four-run inning in the fifth, rallying behind the bats of Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Van Slyke for the 8-7 victory.
Greinke was shelled for a second consecutive outing. In those starts he has pitched eight innings, allowed 19 hits, nine earned runs, and striking out only three.
When he came back from his collarbone injury many were surprised that he returned so far ahead of schedule, and believed he should have made more rehab starts in the minors. This is a small sample of only two starts, but he clearly has not regained form.
A poor outing like his would usually mean an automatic loss for the Dodgers this season, but the team brought their bats on Monday. They got 14 hits, the second most they have had in a game this season.
Adrian Gonzalez went 4-4 scoring four runs and an RBI to continue his recent offensive burst. He is 9-11 in the last three games, and more importantly is getting hits that count with seven RBI and six runs scored.
Scott Van Slyke also had two RBI doubles while Andre Ethier was benched against the left-handed C.J. Wilson.
On a night when it seemed every player was on base or involved in the scoring, Matt Kemp went an embarrassing 0-5 with four strikeouts. He is hitless in his last 12 at bats and is leaving a giant hole in the heart of the Dodgers lineup.
Even with the potent offense, the game was still in the hands of the unreliable Dodgers bullpen. They were pleasantly effective allowing only one run in five innings pitched.
Matt Guerrier, Javy Guerra, Ronald Belisario, Kenley Jansen, and Brandon League allowed a combined four hits. Belisario won his third game of the season and League earned his 11th save.
It was certainly a tale of two halves on Monday. The Angels outscored the Dodgers 6-2 in the first four innings with the Dodgers taking the next five innings 6-1.
Joe Blanton, an ex-Dodger, faces the team tomorrow against Hyun-jin Ryu for game two of the four-game series.
