ANAHEIM, Calif. — In a lineup featuring power hitters Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Garret Anderson, Mike Napoli leads the Los Angeles Angels with 10 home runs.
The 26-year-old catcher hit two Sunday and had a career-high five RBIs in the Angels’ 10-2 victory over the Dodgers.
“Things are just going that way, I guess,” Napoli said of his power surge. “I’ve hit homers in minor league ball. I’ve hit with power.
“I’m feeling good, seeing the ball, getting good swings on it.”
His 10 home runs are six more than the struggling Guerrero, and equals the output of Anderson and Hunter, who have five apiece. And Napoli has done that while playing in just 27 of the Angels’ 46 games (89 at-bats) because he shares catching duties with Jeff Mathis.
“It’s going to take us both,” said Napoli, who is good friends with Mathis.
Manager Mike Scioscia was pleased to see the Angels finally generate offense.
“It (obviously) was a good offensive day for us,” he said. “Nap really got it started for us and kept it going.”
Napoli hit a three-run home run off Derek Lowe (2-4) in the second inning and added a solo shot against Scott Proctor in the sixth. Napoli had an RBI single in the fourth and finished 3-for-4 to help the Angels take two of three in the “Freeway Series.”
The win was the Angels’ ninth in the past 11 against the Dodgers and they have outscored them 63-19 during that stretch.
With the third multihomer game of his career, Napoli already has matched his home run total of last year in 131 fewer at-bats. He also is tied for second in the AL, and has 23 RBIs — all that while batting eighth. His high in homers is 16 in 2006.
Scioscia said he’s not surprised to see him hitting the ball over the fence.
“We’ve seen that the past six or seven years while he was in the organization,” Scioscia said. “He’s got great power, raw, but he’s learning the art of hitting.”
Jered Weaver (3-5) held the Dodgers to two runs through 5 1-3 innings. He gave up five hits, struck out seven and walked two. Relievers Jose Arredondo, Justin Speier and Chris Bootcheck shut out the Dodgers the rest of the way.
Casey Kotchman had three hits, drove in a run and scored twice in the series finale. Hunter had two hits, two RBIs and Maicer Izturis had three hits. Guerrero went 0-for-4 and his batting average dropped to .259.
Lowe was pitching on three days’ rest because Brad Penny missed his turn because of arm stiffness. Lowe gave up seven runs on 10 hits in five innings, with three strikeouts and one walk.
When he learned Penny wouldn’t be able to go, Lowe asked manager Joe Torre to let him fill in because there was no other starter available and the bullpen needed rest.
“So I volunteered to go out there and I’m happy I did it. Obviously it didn’t work out too well,” Lowe said. “The whole game was frustrating — a lot of hits, a lot of hits with men in scoring position.
“They did a good job of not trying to do too much after they got the big home run, and here we are.”
After the Dodgers scored twice in the fourth inning to narrow the gap to 4-2, the Angels came back with six unanswered runs.
Napoli’s single in the fourth gave them a four-run edge, then Hunter and Kotchman each singled in a run in the fifth. Napoli homered in the sixth, and Anderson and Hunter had RBI doubles in the seventh.
The Dodgers’ only runs came on Jeff Kent’s two-run single in the fourth.
Notes: Napoli’s had four RBIs against Cleveland on April 9, when
he hit a grand slam. … Lowe is 0-3 since a win over Arizona on April 23. The latest loss was the first of his career when he’s pitched on less than four days’ rest. He previously was 3-0 in five career starts in that situation. … Weaver’s victory was just his second in his past eight starts, with four losses over that span. … All three games of the series were sellouts, with several thousand blue-clad Dodger fans sprinkled among the Angels’ red-wearing fans.
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