The Dodgers got some offensive power from a couple of unlikely sources on Friday night as the Dodgers topped the Angels by a score of 5-3.

Dodgers second baseman Howie Kendrick, in his first game against his former team, absolutely smoked a Hector Santiago 74-MPH curveball 10 rows deep into the Left Field Pavilion for a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Dodgers a quick 1-0 lead. It was Kendrick’s eighth home run of the season and his first in the month of July.

Kendrick’s first-inning home run against his former team was his eighth of the season. He hit a total of seven last year with the Angels. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Angels would tie the game 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning on a single to right field by Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun which was followed by a laser shot triple into the right-center field gap by Angels center fielder and reigning AL MVP Mike Trout.

The Dodger would regain the lead for good in the bottom half of the fourth when Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal singled on a hard grounder to Angels third baseman Conor Gillaspie. This was followed by a two-run home run by Dodgers third baseman Alex Guerrero down the left field line to make it a 3-1 ballgame. It was Guerrero’s 11th home run of the season and his first since his dramatic grand slam against the Colorado Rockies on June 2.

Guerrero ended his home run drought of nearly two months in Friday night’s 5-3 win over the Angels.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Dodgers added two more huge runs in the fifth inning on a two out double by Dodgers left fielder Scott Van Slyke which was followed by a line drive single to left by the suddenly hot Yasiel Puig to score Van Slyke, with Puig taking second on the throw home. Puig then scored on a single to left by Grandal to extend the Dodgers lead to 5-2.

Although Trout hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth off of Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen to narrow the Dodgers lead to 5-3, Jansen, who was battling flu-like symptoms, managed to strike out Angels first baseman Albert Pujols and got David Murphy and Conor Gillaspie to fly out to Puig in right field and Van Slyke in left field respectively to end the game.

Trout’s home run was his MLB-leading 32nd of the season – two ahead of teammate Albert Pujols – and puts him on pace to hit 51.

“He’s a tough hitter, one of those guys you always gotta respect,” Jansen told reporters after the game. “I missed my spot and he got me.”

Dodgers co-ace Zack Greinke pitched a brilliant eight innings allowing only two runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to improved his record to 10-2. He did see his alien-like 1.37 earned run average go up slightly but still leads all of baseball with his 1.41 ERA.

Greinke remains the only pitcher in all of baseball with a sub-two earned run average.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Greinke was initially scheduled to pitch on Saturday but was moved up a day when defending 2014 NL MVP and Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw was still experiencing discomfort in his right hip. Kershaw will now pitch on Saturday and insists that his hip issue is no big deal.

“As much as anything, [Kershaw is] just making sure everything is good,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said before Friday night’s game. “He threw yesterday before his [charity ping pong] event and he felt good, but we wanted to make sure with an extra day. He probably could have gone [today]. With the throwing program, we wanted to give him a chance to throw and feel good.”