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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- If Darin Erstad can duplicate his first-half
numbers, the Anaheim Angels' publicity-shy outfielder won't be able
to avoid the spotlight anymore.
Erstad, whose 144 hits at the All-Star break were the most since
Ralph Garr's 149 for Atlanta in 1974, increased his total to 147
with three on Friday night. The third was a two-run homer off Kevin
Brown that put the Angels ahead for good in a 5-3 victory over the
Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I'm not trying to match anything. That's something you can't
even think about," said Erstad, hitting .383 with 18 homers and 68
RBIs.
"You're talking to a guy who hit .253 last year, and a guy who
has stunk in the second half of the season the last two years. So
I'm just trying to go out there and remain consistent. I'm not
trying to break any records. I'm just trying to help the team
win."
Kent Bottenfield (6-7), allowed to bat in the top of the seventh
by manager Mike Scioscia despite being down by a run, improved his
career record against the Dodgers to 6-0 despite allowing two solo
homers to Gary Sheffield.
The right-hander allowed three runs and three hits in seven
innings, striking out three and walking none for only the second
time in 18 starts. It was the first time he won consecutive starts
since April 30-May 5.
It also marked just the second time Bottenfield pitched at least
seven innings in back-to-back outings since joining the Angels in a
trade that sent All-Star center fielder Jim Edmonds to St. Louis.
Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his 21st save in 26 chances.
He walked two, but was bailed out with a game-ending double-play by
Shawn Green. The biggest play of that inning, however, was a diving
catch in right-center by Erstad, who robbed Paul LoDuca of extra
bases.
"Scioscia's been saying from day one to give your maximum
effort, be aggressive, and if you screw up, you screw up," said
Erstad, who shifted from left field to center in the eighth inning
after Garret Anderson was forced out because of irritation in his
right shin. "I had a pretty good jump on it and a good read. I
just had a good feeling that I was going to catch it."
Troy Glaus triggered the pivotal rally with his 27th homer and
second in two nights, leading off the seventh with a drive halfway
up the left-field pavilion that trimmed the Dodgers' lead to 3-2.
Two outs later, Bottenfield got his second consecutive single and
scored when Erstad drove a 1-1 pitch down the right-field line for
his 18th homer.
"Obviously we weren't expecting him to line a base hit to right
field," Scioscia said. "But he was still pitching well. And with
two outs, no one on and two innings to go, I felt pretty
comfortable that we could get some pretty good cracks the next
inning with the top of the order coming up."
Brown (8-3) finished the seventh, but removed himself after
straining a muscle in his shoulder on a first-pitch strike to Mo
Vaughn leading off the eighth. The All-Star right-hander was
charged with four runs and nine hits in seven-plus innings -- only
the second time Brown has yielded more than three earned runs in 18
starts this season.
Manager Davey Johnson told reporters that pitching coach Claude
Osteen knew about the discomfort in Brown's shoulder since his
previous start at San Diego. But Osteen didn't bother telling
Johnson until the fifth inning.
"That's the kind of leader Kevin is. He wasn't 100 percent, but
he was out there for us," said second baseman Alex Cora, whose
sixth-inning triple was the only hit Bottenfield allowed besides
Sheffield's homers. "That's the kind of player you want on your
team. Kevin gives everything for the cause."
Onan Masaoka relieved and gave up a double to Vaughn, who scored
Anaheim's fifth run on Anderson's double.
Sheffield homered his first two times up against Bottenfield,
whose 21 home runs allowed are the most on the Angels. The second
one gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the fourth. It was Sheffield's
fifth homer against Anaheim in 13 at-bats, after hitting only five
in 141 previous at-bats against the Angels.
Sheffield's second home run enabled the six-time All-Star to
reach the 30-homer mark for the fourth time in his 13-year career.
It was his third in two games, following an eight-game drought.
Glaus doubled in the second inning, advanced on a groundout and
came home on Matt Walbeck's two-out single that tied the score at 1.
Game notes
The crowd of 53,115 was the Dodgers' fourth home sellout of
the season. ... Kevin Stocker, whose 175 career at-bats against the
Dodgers are more than twice as many as anyone else on the Angels,
went 0-for-4 against Brown and is hitless in 16 career at-bats
against the Dodgers' ace. ... Sheffield also homered twice against
Anaheim's Brian Cooper on June 3 in an 8-3 victory at Edison Field.
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