Jason Vargas helps Angels earn a split

The Angels have a long way to go to become the World Series contender many thought they’d be, but they’re at least making a push, which is more than can be said for the Dodgers.

Jason Vargas had another solid outing for the Angels on Thursday night, giving up two runs and five hits in seven innings, Howie Kendrick tripled, doubled and scored all three runs, and relievers Garrett Richards and Ernesto Frieri nailed down the final six outs of a 3-2 victory over the Dodgers at Angel Stadium.

In earning a split of the four-game Freeway Series, the Angels won for the 10th time in 12 games to improve to 25-29 and move to within striking distance of .500. The Dodgers, despite their $230-million payroll, are 22-30 and in last place in the National League West.

BOX SCORE: Angels 3, Dodgers 2

“We’re getting closer on the pitching side, we’re better set up to hold leads,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “But to say we’re firing on all cylinders, that we’re the team we envisioned, we’re still a ways from that.”

The Angels actually have a bigger division deficit — 8 1/2 games behind Texas in the American League West — than the Dodgers, who are 7 1/2 games behind Arizona, but the Angels seem headed in the right direction.

“I couldn’t even tell you what the deficit is,” Kendrick said. “The biggest thing for us is putting up wins. We’ve been playing good baseball and having a lot of fun, even in tight games, tight situations. We’re pulling through,

coming up with the big hit, and everyone is contributing.”

The Dodgers were game Thursday night despite losing center fielder Matt Kemp to a hamstring strain, starting a right fielder (Andre Ethier) in center for only the second time in his career and a .111-hitting backup catcher (Ramon Hernandez) at designated hitter.

For that they can think Ted Lilly, the crafty left-hander who held the Angels to three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings, Carl Crawford, who tripled and scored on Adrian Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly in the first, and Hernandez, who led off the fifth with a homer to left to tie the score, 2-2.

But Vargas, who improved to 5-0 with a 2.30 earned-run average this month and became the sixth Angels pitcher and first since Shawn Boskie in 1996 to win five games in May, was a little better.

“At some point we have to get it done,” Lilly said, “one way or another.”

Kendrick sparked the winning rally in the sixth with a one-out double to right. After Alberto Callaspo struck out, Kendrick stole third.

Chris Iannetta walked, and Chris Nelson, the recently signed utility infielder who was making his first start for the Angels, ripped a grounder that hit the glove of reliever Ronald Belisario and trickled toward second base for a run-scoring infield single and a 3-2 lead.

Kendrick also scored in the second on Iannetta’s double to right-center and in the fourth when he tripled to right-center, a ball right fielder Scott Van Slyke might have caught had he taken a better route, and came home on Callaspo’s bloop RBI single to right-center.

Richards retired the side in order in the eighth and Frieri, who had yielded five earned runs and six hits, walked five and struck out three in four innings of his previous four appearances, retired three straight after Jerry Hairston Jr.’s leadoff single in the ninth for his 12th save.

“I couldn’t even tell you how many games back we are,” Scioscia said. “We’re playing good baseball, and that’s our focus. We have enough on our plate.”

The Dodgers hope they don’t have another injury on theirs.

Crawford made a spectacular defensive play in the second, diving to catch Callaspo’s line drive down the line before crashing into the wall in foul territory, but he hurt his back in the process.

“It’s one of those things that I’ll probably feel on the plane,” Crawford said before the Dodgers headed for Denver. “It’s not really one spot. I ran into a wall. I’ll probably feel some aches and pains tomorrow.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

twitter.com/MikeDiGiovanna