LOS ANGELES – Tony Gonsolin pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this season. He wants to go longer next time.
Gonsolin tossed 6 1/3 strong innings, Mookie Betts hit his 17th home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers held off the Los Angeles Angels 2-0 in their Freeway Series opener Tuesday night.
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“Felt good,” Gonsolin said. “I definitely wanted to stay out there. When it's my day to pitch I've got to go as long as I can.”
The right-hander remained undefeated with his National League-leading eighth victory and lowered his ERA to 1.42. He struck out six and walked two. Gonsolin has allowed two runs or fewer in all 12 starts this season.
“He really looked like he had a lot of his good command and he mixed in some pitches he hasn’t been using percentage-wise as much,” Angels interim manager Phil Nevin said. “There’s a reason why he’s 8-0 now.”
The Angels threatened in the ninth. With one out, Mike Trout hit a broken-bat single off Craig Kimbrel that injured the home plate umpire, causing an extended delay. Shohei Ohtani followed with a double to center field and Kimbrel walked Matt Duffy to load the bases with one out.
With fans on their feet chanting and clapping, Kimbrel struck out Jared Walsh and got Max Stassi on a called third strike for his 12th save.
“He really locked in,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Kimbrel.
The Angels have gone 17 innings without scoring dating to Sunday. They've dropped 17 of 19 overall, and 10 straight on the road.
“I love the effort,” Nevin said. “I love how they’re going about things.”
The Dodgers earned their fifth shutout of the season and avoided their second four-game skid after getting swept at rival San Francisco last weekend.
“Right now there's not a whole lot of margin for error,” Roberts said.
It was the first game featuring six active MVPs since 1982. The Dodgers had Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman on the field; the Angels had Ohtani and Trout. Only pitcher Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers was idle.
All that star power amounted to little offense, however. Ohtani had the Angels' first hit, a single in the fourth that extended his hitting streak to nine games. He was thrown out stealing second. Trout singled in the ninth. The Angels didn't advance a runner past first base until the ninth.
Betts was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts before going deep to left on an 0-2 pitch from Andrew Wantz in the eighth.
Bellinger and Freeman were a combined 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and two walks.
Angels starter Noah Syndergaard (4-5) retired his first 10 batters before coming undone in a 40-pitch fourth. He issued three walks, including to Justin Turner with the bases loaded, forcing in Freeman, who walked. The right-hander allowed one run and two hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.
UMPIRE HURT
Plate umpire Nate Tomlinson was struck in the face by the broken end of Trout’s bat in the top of the ninth. Tomlinson went down on his knees after the shard of the bat found its way between the bars of his mask. A stunned Trout saw what happened and reluctantly ran to first base. Blood trickled down Tomlinson’s face before he walked off the field. Second base ump Laz Diaz took over behind the plate.
“Never seen that in the mask,” Roberts said. “That was really scary.”
MVPs! MVPs! MVPs!
The last time six MVPs were in one game was Sept. 27, 1982, when the California Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2. Vida Blue, George Brett, Don Baylor, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn were on the field.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: 3B Anthony Rendon left in the bottom of the fifth after reaggravating his right wrist. He returned Friday after missing 12 games with wrist inflammation.
Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (right forearm strain) had bone spurs removed from his right elbow. The procedure was unrelated to the flexor strain that has sidelined him.
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Angels: LHP Reid Detmers (2-2, 3.83 ERA) lost his only other start against the Dodgers last August. He gave up seven hits and five earned runs in five innings.
Dodgers: LHP Tyler Anderson (7-0, 3.07) is 0-3 in four career starts against the Angels with a 13.83 ERA.
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