Dodgers 5, Angels 3
LOS ANGELES -- Second baseman Howie Kendrick homered against his ex-mates and All-Star right-hander Zack Greinke delivered another solid performance, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels before a sellout crowd of 53,380 at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
Greinke started instead of Clayton Kershaw, who rested his sore hip for an extra day. Grienke allowed two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and a walk in eight innings. Only right fielder Kole Calhoun (three) and center fielder Mike Trout (two) recorded hits off Greinke.
Trout who went 3-for-4 and drove in all three runs, smacked his 32nd home run in the ninth off Kenley Jansen before the closer earned his 18th save despite giving up a run and hitting a batter.
Greinke (10-2), who had his streak of 45 2/3 innings scoreless innings snapped Sunday against the New York Mets, allowed two earned runs at Dodger Stadium for first time since April 29 against the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw (8-6, 2.51 ERA) is scheduled to return Saturday, when he will face Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney (5-0, 1.79 ERA), who the Dodgers dealt for Kendrick during the off-season.
Third baseman Alex Guerrero also went deep -- his 11th home run this season -- for the Dodgers (58-45), who defeated the Angels (55-47) for the fourth straight time. The Angels have dropped their last four games and seven of their past eight.
Angels starter Hector Santiago surrendered five runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk in five-plus innings. Santiago (7-5) also hit a batter.
Kendrick parked a 1-0 off-speed pitch from Santiago into the seats in center for his eighth home run of the season in his first at-bat against his former club in the first inning.
Trout's RBI triple brought home Calhoun, who reached on a single, to tie the score at 1 in the fourth.
In the bottom of the inning, Guerrero followed catcher Yasmani Grandal's infield single with a two-run homer to left for a 3-1 Dodgers advantage.
The Dodgers added two runs in the fifth on RBI singles by right fielder Yasiel Puig and Grandal for a 5-1 cushion.
NOTES: The Dodgers activated LHP Alex Wood, RHP Jim Johnson and LHP Luis Avilan, optioned RHP Mike Bolsinger, Zach Lee and Chin-hui Tsao to Triple-A Oklahoma City and traded 1B Michael Morse and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Jose Tabata. The club also placed 3B Justin Turner on the 15-day disabled list with a right thigh skin infection. ... The Angels put LHP C.J. Wilson on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to July 29) with left elbow inflammation. The team also optioned INF/OF Efren Navarro to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees and recalled RHP Drew Rucinski from the Bees.