At long last, Kuroda gets some support

For the first time since May 17, Hiroki Kuroda can actually thank his offense.

The Dodgers scattered 13 hits, stole four bases, and Kuroda went seven strong in shutting out the Angels, 5-0. He had been on a six-game losing streak, which was in large part due to incredibly poor run support. Single runs in the first four innings were all he needed to win this one.

Tony Gwynn led off the game with a double, part of his huge 3-for-3 night with three walks. Casey Blake sacrificed him over to third, and Andre Ethier lifted a sac-fly RBI to center for the early 1-0 lead.

Aaron Miles started the second with a single, and he too had a big game by going 4-for-4 with a walk. Trent Oeltjen and A.J. Ellis both got out, but Dee Gordon kept the inning alive with a single to left. Gwynn collected an RBI with a single to shallow left, and it was 2-0.

The Dodgers just kept adding to the score the next couple of innings. In the third, Ethier singled leading off and went to second on Matt Kemp's groundout. Miles came through with an RBI single, making it 3-0.

The score became 4-0 in the fourth. Gwynn legged out a beautiful bunt with one down. Blake then grounded one to Alberto Callaspo at short, and his throw was off the mark, allowing Gwynn to hustle to third. Ethier was then beaned in the leg to load 'em up. Kemp got enough of one for a sac-fly RBI to score a run.

The last run was scored in the seventh, and it was all thanks to some great baserunning by the speedy Gordon and Gwynn. Ellis led off and was drilled. Gordon's grounder forced him at second, but Gordon soon stole second. After Gwynn drew another walk, Gordon went to third on an attempted throw behind for runners on the corners. On a double steal attempt, Gwynn avoided a tag in a rundown as Gordon scampered home to steal a run and make it a 5-0 lead.

All the while, Kuroda was magnificent, never letting any baserunner to cause any damage. He finished at seven innings pitched for three hits, no runs, one walk, and four strikeouts. It's almost laughable that his record is only 6-9 with a sparkling 2.90 ERA. If the National League is looking at more pitchers for the All-Star game, he still deserves some serious attention. It's not his fault that his offense hasn't backed him up on numerous occasions.

Mike MacDougal came on in the eighth and things got a bit dicey for a little. Macier Izturis and Callaspo each singled with one out. Bobby Abreu grounded into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners. On a 3-0 count, Vernon Wells swung away and grounded to second.

Javy Guerra gave up a leadoff single in the ninth, but struck out Hank Conger to end the game in the non-save situation. His ERA is now down to 2.20 after another successful appearance.

While Kuroda was awesome, the combination of Gwynn and Miles were literally perfect all night. 11 plate appearances, 11 times on base. Can it get any better? Doesn't seem so. Gwynn has enjoyed life as a leadoff hitter in recent games. He had three hits last Sunday, four on Monday, two walks on Tuesday, and now six times on base on Friday. His OBP at the start of June was .244, and now it's shot all the way up to .318. Great stuff.

As for Miles, he just continues to do everything the Dodgers can ask of him. He's hit in many spots at the top and bottom of the lineup, plays second and third base, and starts or comes off the bench. All the while, he's hitting .324 with only three errors. As a non-roster invitee coming into the season, he's been one of the most valuable players on the team. Much like Jamey Carroll, his versatility has been clutch.

It's no secret that the Dodgers haven't enjoyed much success in the Freeway Series, so getting any win against the hated Angels is a positive. Shutting them out in their own house is even better. Now, the key is to not turn this into a Twins situation, in which the Dodgers won the first game easily (remember 15-0?) and then dropped the next two. Getting a weekend game will be key.

Saturday's matchup will be a rematch of the great duel last Sunday between Clayton Kershaw and Jared Weaver. The Dodgers eeked that one out... with a little assist from the guys calling the game. Hopefully this time they won't be needed for a win.