Participants Have Trouble Believing Dodgers Won Without a Hit:

I spent Sunday at Dodger Stadium, and participants were as astonished as fans about how, on the previous evening, the Dodgers won a game without getting a hit.The Dodgers’ 1-0 victory over the Angels was the first major league game since 1992 when a team accomplished such a feat and just the fifth time it happened since 1901.“Unbelievable,” said 60-year Dodger announcer Vin Scully.“Pretty bizarre,” said Dodger manager Joe Torre.“The most bizarre game I’ve ever been in,” said Dodger catcher Russell Martin.“It’s the first no-hitter I’ve broadcast, and I’m told it isn’t even an official no-hitter because the Dodgers didn’t bat in the ninth inning,” said Angels announcer Rory Markas.For Scully the game will rank somewhere close to one he broadcast in 1955 – Don Larsen’s perfect game for the Yankees against the Dodgers in the World Series.This time it was a game between two teams who’ve had trouble mounting much of an offense in the first half of the season. And yet the Angels are the first place team in their division and the Dodgers are only 2 1/2 games out of first place in theirs.How badly do they struggle for runs? In Sunday’s game, the score was again 1-0 but this time the Angels won.The Dodgers have a pretty good excuse for their paltry offense – some key injuries. But that is likely to change soon because shortstop Rafael Furcal, third baseman Nomar Garciaparra and centerfielder Andruw Jones began rehabilitation assignments this week at Triple-A Las Vegas and are expected to join the Dodgers soon.Two pitchers who weren’t in the Dodgers’ starting rotation when the season began, Chan-Ho Park and Eric Stultz, have turned in winning games recently.The Dodgers have been fortunate that the first place Arizona DiamondBacks have played poorly and weren’t able to take advantage of the Dodgers’ troubles.Jered Weaver pitched the first six innings of Saturday’s strange game and reliever Jose Arredondo pitched the seventh and eighth, also holding the Dodgers hitless.Matt Kemp was safe on Weaver’s error in the fifth inning. He stole second, went to third when catcher Jeff Mathis threw wildly and scored on Blake DeWitt’s sacrifice fly.Adding to the unusual developments of the game, the scoreboard operator flashed “hit” on Kemp’s grounder, something he shouldn’t have done until the official scorer made a ruling. Then “error” was flashed and it appeared official scorer Don Hartack changed his mind. But Hartack never called it a hit.Chad Billingsley was the Dodgers’ winning pitcher and asked about the Angels’ plight he said, “I don’t ever want to experience that.”Late Sunday afternoon, when the Dodgers and Angels completed their interleague games against each other for the season with each team winning three of the six meetings they went their separate ways. The Dodgers headed for Houston and the Angels headed home to play Oakland.“See you in the World Series,” a Dodger said to an Angel.Now that would be another bizarre development, wouldn’t it?