Final Score in Los Angeles: Angels 4, Dodgers 5
In perhaps the most terrible way to lose a ballgame in all of baseball, Angels pitcher Jose Arredondo walked in the winning run in extra innings. A Walk Off Walk to Juan Pierre ended a close contest between the Angels and the Dodgers.
For the first time this season, the Angels looked like they had given up the game before it was over. In a tied game in the bottom of the 9th, Scot Shields threw over to first base with such casual carelessness that the ball bounced on the infield grass and caromed halfway to right field's foul territory. Arredondo was brought in the game on a technicality , an alleged injury to Shields.
An inning prior to that, a base hit by James Loney (after the count went full on a suddenly and ridiculously squeezed strikezone) off of Shields was stretched into a double, with Juan Rivera getting to the ball quickly and firing it to Howie Kendrick. Instead of turning and slapping the runner (a sure out), Howie had assumed "single" and didn't bother to check the other side of the base, soon to be reached by a sliding Loney.
Loney would score the tying run soon afterward. Two innings later, the game ended. It was the 10th loss by the Angels bullpen this season.
After the game, manager Mike Scioscia told Jose Mota on FoxSportsWest that Shields' knee had gotten too stiff to complete the inning. Shields has been diagnosed with tendinitis in the back of his knee but it is not significant enough to put him on the disabled list. YET.
On the bright side, John Lackey's quality start plus was 7 innings of 3-run ball with 5 Ks (three of them to Dodger centerfielder Matt Kemp). The four Angel runs were all courtesy of the longball. Juan Rivera hit a solo shot to lead off the 4th and Torii Hunter hit a 3-run bomb into the Dodger bullpen in the 5th inning.
