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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 1:22 p.m., Sunday, June 29, 2008

Baseball: Lackey, Angels beat Dodgers 1-0

By KEN PETERS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES — John Lackey could not match his teammates' no-hit effort from a night before. Unlike Jered Weaver, though, he got the win.

Lackey held the Dodgers to three hits for 8 2-3 innings, Francisco Rodriguez retired James Loney with the bases loaded for the final out and the Angels beat the Dodgers 1-0 today.

On Saturday night, Weaver and reliever Jose Arredondo did not allow a hit but the Angels lost to the Dodgers 1-0 on an unearned run. Weaver took the loss in the unofficial no-hitter.

Mike Napoli's RBI single off Derek Lowe in the second inning Sunday was all the offense the Angels needed.

Rodriguez, who came in with two outs in the ninth and runners on first and second, walked Jeff Kent to load the bases, then got Loney on a routine grounder to second to earn his major league-leading 32nd save.

Lackey (6-1), whose 2008 debut was delayed six weeks by a strained triceps, allowed only five base runners in a dominant performance. He struck out nine and walked two. Lackey retired 14 in a row at one juncture.

Avoiding a sweep in the weekend set at Dodger Stadium, the Angels scored their first — and only — run of the series on Napoli's RBI. Howie Kendrick singled with two outs, Gary Matthews Jr. walked, then Napoli followed with a single to right.

Lowe (5-8) finally ended the inning by getting Lackey to ground into a forceout.

The Dodgers' right-hander pitched well, holding the Angels to one run on five hits and two walks in his seven innings. He struck out seven.

Lackey was even better, limiting the Dodgers to a walk in the first, a single by Kent in the second, and a single by Juan Pierre in the sixth before giving up a one-out single to Delwyn Young and a walk to Russell Martin in the ninth.

Rodriguez, who has blown just two saves this year, came on and his wild pitch allowed Young to advance to third, with Martin holding at first. After Kent walked, Rodriguez finished the Dodgers off.

Pierre left the game in the sixth after injuring his left knee sliding. Angels shortstop Erick Aybar fell on Pierre as he was stealing second. Pierre, who was safe, lay on the dirt writhing for a few moments, finally got to his feet and was limping slightly as he left the field. He is day to day.

Young replaced Pierre as a pinch-runner and remained in the game in left.

The Dodgers took the opener 6-0, then won the second game 1-0 without the benefit of a hit. Weaver pitched six hitless innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter, and Arredondo retired six in a row over the next two innings, but it didn't count as a no-hitter since the Dodgers didn't bat in the ninth.

The only run in that game scored after Weaver's fielding error in the fifth inning allowed Matt Kemp to reach first. Kemp stole second, went to third on catcher Jeff Mathis' throwing error and came home on Blake DeWitt's sacrifice fly.

The game was just the fifth in the majors since 1900 when the winning team didn't get a hit, and first since Boston's Matt Young lost one in 1992, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.