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 The Angels found out before their game against the Los Angeles
Dodgers on Wednesday night they will be without catcher Geovany Soto
for four to six weeks because of a knee injury. Soto became the 10th
Angel to go on the disabled list, one short of the Oakland
Athletics' major-league-leading total of injured players.
It is becoming such a common occurrence that the Angels seemed
unfazed, going out and pounding the Dodgers 8-1 at Angel Stadium.
The Angels broke open a tight game with a five-run fifth inning,
then rode the right arm of Nick Tropeano to win their fourth in five
games.
"It sucks when guys go down," Angels center fielder Mike Trout said.
"A lot of teams go through it, but we're going through it all at
once. We're just trying to get wins, that's all we can do. It
doesn't matter who it is, one guy is not going to carry us."
 Trout more than carried his share of the load, amassing three hits,
a walk and three runs to lead an Angels offense that tallied 12
hits. Albert Pujols, C.J. Cron and Rafael Ortega each had two hits,
and Cron and Ortega both drove in two runs.
It was more than enough support for Tropeano, who gave up one run on
seven hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out four. It
marked the first time in his 19 career major league starts that
Tropeano (2-2) was able to get through seven innings.
It looked as if he might fall short again Wednesday when the Dodgers
loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning. However, with
the Angels holding a seven-run lead, Angels manager Mike Scioscia
gave Tropeano the opportunity to work out of it, and he did.
First, Tropeano struck out pinch hitter Enrique Hernandez, and then
he got Justin Turner to hit into an inning-ending double play.
"Nick did a great job," Scioscia said. "That game was a lot closer
than maybe it looked, and he had to make some pitches to get out of
some trouble. You can't ask for much more."
Dodgers starter Mike Bolsinger, making his first start of the season
after straining an oblique muscle in spring training, did not fare
nearly as well. He was in trouble often in the early innings but
managed to work out of jams because the Angels were 0-for-5 with
runners in scoring position through the first four innings. The
Angels' only early run came on Trout's first-inning homer.
Bolsinger's good fortune ran out in the fifth when the Angels began
a rally and knocked him out of the game. The Angels had two on and
one out when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to his bullpen, and
the roof caved in. Two of the five runs in the inning were charged
to Bolsinger.
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The key hit of the inning was Ortega's two-run bloop double, as
Dodgers left fielder Trayce Thompson came up short in a diving
attempt.
"I thought that Mike did what we had hoped," Roberts said of his
starter. "There were 60 pitches that he threw in his last rehab
start, and then for him to get to 72 pitches, from where he was at,
I thought he gave us a chance to win."
In 4 1/3 innings, Bolsinger yielded three runs on seven hits and two
walks with two strikeouts.
Joc Pederson and Carl Crawford each had two hits for the Dodgers in
a losing effort. It was their third loss in four games and dropped
them 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Giants in the National
League West.
"Obviously, a game over .500 (21-20), we know we're better than
that," Roberts said. "Forty-something games in, yeah, we think we're
better than that. But I don't think that anyone's conceding. We're
going to play better."
NOTES: Angels C Geovany Soto tore the meniscus in his right knee
while working out Wednesday, and he will have surgery Thursday. Soto
will be replaced by Jett Bandy, who was hitting .274 with two homers
and 21 RBIs for Triple-A Salt Lake. ... Dodgers RHP Mike Bolsinger
was activated from the DL to start the game. INF Charlie Culberson
was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... Dodgers OF Scott Van
Slyke, out since April 10 with lower back irritation, is working out
at the spring complex in Arizona and is expected to begin a rehab
assignment soon. ... Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez (tight back) was not
in the starting lineup for the second consecutive, but manager Dave
Roberts said Gonzalez could return by Thursday or Friday. ... The
Angels are reportedly working out the final details of a contract
for RHP Tim Lincecum, who likely would need three to four weeks of
rehab starts before joining the major league club.
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