ANGELS SHOULDER ON VICTORY COMES DESPITE INJURY TO GUERRERO ANGELS 9, DODGERS 0.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Neither team felt much like a winner Friday night in the first battle of Los Angeles vs. Los Angeles.

The Angels got the victory, chasing Scott Erickson in the second inning and winning 9-0 in front of 54,543 at Dodger Stadium, but the victory seemed hollow, since Vladimir Guerrero left the game with what appeared to be a serious left shoulder injury.

Guerrero, last season's American League MVP, departed after the top of the fifth inning, which he ended with an awkward slide into home plate while he unsuccessfully tried to avoid a tag.

X-ray results were not immediately available, but Guerrero initially was diagnosed with a jammed shoulder. Guerrero attempted to score from first on Steve Finley's double but was tagged out, stayed on the ground for several moments and held his arm as he walked off the field, seemingly in significant pain.

The injury put a damper on an otherwise outstanding game for the Angels, who got seven shutout innings from starter Jarrod Washburn (3-2) and pounded Erickson early.

In the first meaningful game between the teams since the Los Angels Angels of Anaheim adopted their new name, Dodgers fans seemed ready to run Erickson out of the entire state. They booed him off the field after the shortest outing by a Dodgers starter this year, as Erickson allowed four runs in 1 2/3 innings.

It could have been far worse, but manager Jim Tracy didn't let Erickson labor. Erickson (1-4) walked Washburn to load the bases in the second, then Chone Figgins hit a three-run triple.

Darin Erstad's sacrifice fly then gave the Angels a 4-0 lead, and after Jeff DaVanon followed with a single, it was clear that Erickson wasn't going to reverse course, so he went to the dugout instead.

For the Angels, who have been suffering through an offensive drought of late, the four-run inning qualified as nothing short of a deluge, and it was more than enough to propel Washburn to victory.

Washburn can sympathize with Erickson. Just 12 days earlier, Washburn was pulled in the third inning after he gave up seven runs. But Washburn bounced back last Saturday with a solid outing, and he kept the Dodgers, no offensive giants themselves, baffled throughout the early innings.

Cesar Izturis led off the first with a single but was erased immediately on a double play, and Olmedo Saenz hit a two-out double in the second, but other than that, Washburn dominated.

After Saenz's double, Washburn retired nine consecutive batters, and he didn't allow another hit until Izturis singled up the middle with one out in the sixth.

Washburn was in trouble only once, when Saenz doubled in the seventh and tried to score on Jason Phillips' single, but Saenz thrown out at the plate by DaVanon from left field. Washburn left after the seventh. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out one.

Washburn couldn't have provided a clearer contrast to Erickson, who took the turn of the injured Odalis Perez but has been the Dodgers' fifth starter all season and was pitching on full rest.

After a rough start to the season, Erickson had quieted talk of him being removed from the rotation when he turned in a solid outing Sunday against Atlanta. Erickson allowed only two runs on three hits in six innings against the Braves in his most effective start of the season, but there was no carryover.

Just six of Erickson's first 16 pitches were strikes, and with one out in the first he walked Erstad and DaVanon. A groundout moved over both runners but Finley flied out to end the inning.

Erickson wasn't so fortunate in the second. With one out, Bengie Molina and Adam Kennedy singled and moved up on Phillips' passed ball with Washburn at the plate. Washburn, behind 1-2 in the count, worked a walk, and Figgins lined a 2-2 pitch into the right-center gap to clear the bases.

Wilson Alvarez, a former starter, was given the unenviable task of long relief, but did a tremendous job. In 4 1/3 innings, Alvarez allowed zero runs, one hit and zero walks and struck out two.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 6 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Vladimir Guerrero is helped off the field after jamming his left shoulder on a play at home plate in the fifth.

(2) Dodgers starting pitcher Scott Erickson lasted only 1 2/3 innings on Friday, allowing four runs.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) DODGERS vs. ANGELS

- Rich Hammond

(2) STORY LINES

(3) GAME RECAP

(4) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(5) ANGELS ALMANAC 

(6) DODGERS ALMANAC