Dodgers Putting the ‘L’ in L.A.

The Angels did not beat the Dodgers on Saturday with one arm tied behind their back. It only seemed that way. They did, however, beat the Dodgers with the left arm of their 2004 American League most valuable player in a sling, the right arm of their All-Star reliever on the shelf and the bat of their cleanup hitter tethered to the bench.

Minus right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, who was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a partially dislocated shoulder; closer Francisco Rodriguez, who has a strained muscle in his forearm; and left fielder Garret Anderson, who has a tight right hamstring, the Angels still had enough in reserve to defeat the Dodgers, 3-1, before an announced 53,631 in Dodger Stadium.

Angel right-hander John Lackey was dominant, striking out nine of 11 during one stretch in a 6 1/3 -inning, one-run, five-hit performance; backup catcher Jose Molina hit a solo home run off Dodger starter Brad Penny in the third inning, and super utility player Chone Figgins snapped a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring double in the eighth.

While the Angels won for the sixth time in eight games but pondered the harsh reality of another two weeks -- and maybe more -- without their best hitter, the Dodgers were left to sort through the rubble of their sixth loss in seven games and their 18th loss in 28 games following a 12-2 start.

Manager Jim Tracy called a team meeting before the game, stressing the need to stick together during these difficult times, and the Dodgers pretty much did; with the exception of Milton Bradley, who had two doubles and scored his team’s only run, they all went down swinging or looking together, striking out 12 times. They’ve scored one run in the last 20 innings and had seven hits Saturday.

“We’re not working the counts, we’re not taking the at-bats we took earlier in the year -- it’s just strike one, strike two, and you’re out,” Bradley said. “Nobody wants to come out here and get their brains bashed in every day. ... You’ve just got to go out there and be the man. You’ve got to have the body language, the confidence. Maybe somebody has to go out there and get angry. Maybe I’ve got to get angry.”

Bradley didn’t get mad, but he helped the Dodgers get even in the seventh, leading off with a double and scoring on Antonio Perez’s single to tie the score, 1-1. Paul Bako’s hit-and-run single off Angel reliever Brendan Donnelly put runners on first and third with one out, but Donnelly struck out pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz and got Cesar Izturis to fly to left.

Molina’s leadoff single sparked the Angels’ eighth-inning rally, which included Figgins’ RBI double and Steve Finley’s RBI single, and Scot Shields, a fill-in closer who is no ordinary temp, pitched two scoreless innings for his fifth save, lowering his earned-run average to 1.09 in 20 games.

Pitching, of course, is the least of the Angels’ concerns. As badly as the Dodgers are hitting, the Angel offense could go from Vlad to worse without Guerrero, who suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder on his awkward dive into home plate Friday night.

X-rays and an exam Saturday confirmed the diagnosis, which Dr. Lewis Yocum said is “less traumatic than a full dislocation” but is still cause for concern. Guerrero will undergo an MRI test Monday or Tuesday to determine if there is any structural damage to the shoulder.

“The shoulder did not come all the way out of the socket, but it was starting to slip,” Yocum said. “Because of the inherent risk, we don’t want to take any chances until we see how the shoulder responds.”

Guerrero suffered a similar injury with the Montreal Expos in 1999 and missed four or five games, “but based on the pain he was experiencing [Saturday] we want to take a cautious approach,” Yocum said. “The fact he did this before increases my concern, but it also makes us optimistic he can return at his level because he hasn’t had any problems with it for four years.”

The Angels began play Saturday ranked 12th in the league in batting (.245), 10th in runs (175), last in on-base percentage (.299) and last in walks (101), and they’ll begin a 16-game stretch Monday that includes seven games against the Chicago White Sox, three against Boston and three against Atlanta without their most lethal offensive weapon.

As they say around the Angel clubhouse, what else is new? They endured long stretches of 2004 without Anderson, third baseman Troy Glaus and designated hitter Tim Salmon and still won the AL West.

“This team has been through this many times before,” first baseman Darin Erstad said. “You have two choices: You either cry about it or come together as a group and find a way to pick up the slack. But you can’t replace Vladdy, that’s for sure.”

The Angel lineup Saturday included a No. 3 hitter (Jeff DaVanon) with no home runs and a cleanup batter (Finley) who was hitting .201, but right field appears to be in fairly capable hands with Juan Rivera, who hit .307 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs in 391 at-bats for the Expos last season.

“What happens is, when guys go down, other guys see it as an opportunity to play every day, and they make the most of it,” Erstad said. “We saw it with DaVanon in 2003 and Figgy last year. When the injured guy comes back, they know they’re not going to play, so they go crazy and leave their heart on the field.”