Dodgers almost no-hit punchless Phils

LOS ANGELES - August 31, 2010

Kuroda walked Jayson Werth in the eighth before Raul Ibanez reached on a fielder's choice groundout. Shane Victorino, hitless in seven career at-bats against Kuroda, hit a clean line-drive single to right field on Kuroda's 97th pitch of the game to break up the no-hitter.

Kuroda received a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 44,896 when he left one batter later.

Before that, Kuroda hit Werth with a pitch in the second and walked Carlos Ruiz in the sixth.

The 35-year-old right-hander from Japan beat Roy Halladay, who tossed a perfect game against Florida on May 29, winning 1-0.

Kuroda (10-11) struck out seven in 7 2-3 innings for his second straight win.

Halladay (16-10) allowed three runs and 10 hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked one. It was the fourth time he gave up 10 or more hits this season, and the most since he allowed 13 at Cincinnati on June 30.

Kuroda hasn't pitched a complete game since his one-hit shutout against Atlanta on July 7, 2008, at home.

He notched his first hit of the season when he singled to center in the seventh.

Hong-Chih Kuo relieved Kuroda with two out and two on in the eighth and retired all four batters he faced for his seventh save.

It was the 15th shutout victory by the Dodgers' staff this season, and the 11th shutout loss for the Phillies.

The Dodgers moved within 5½ games of the Phillies in the NL wild-card race. Philadelphia dropped three games behind Atlanta in the NL East standings.

The Dodgers' offense accounted for 11 hits on the same day slugger Manny Ramirez left to join the Chicago White Sox on a waiver claim.

Los Angeles led 1-0 in the first on James Loney's RBI single.

They added a run in the second when Casey Blake singled to lead off and scored on a double-play grounder by Barajas, who joined the Dodgers last Tuesday after being traded from the New York Mets. He homered that night at Milwaukee.

The Dodgers extended their lead to 3-0 when Barajas led off the fifth with a homer over the wall in left field on a 1-0 pitch from Halladay.

Notes: The last Dodgers' no-hitter was by Hideo Nomo of Japan at Colorado on Sept. 17, 1996, a 9-0 victory. ... On July 10, the Phillies were no-hit through eight innings by Cincinnati's Travis Wood before Ruiz got a leadoff double in the ninth. The Phillies won 1-0 in 11 innings.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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