The Los Angeles Dodgers' loaded outfield came through in a series-opening victory on Thursday.
Chris Capuano will try to play the star on Friday night when the Dodgers go for a seventh straight victory in the second of four straight meetings with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers' outfield grouping of Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier combined to drive in five runs in last night's 6-4 victory. Kemp had two hits and stole a pair of bases, while Puig hit a go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The electric rookie came through on an 0-2 pitch off Philadelphia's Justin De Fratus not long after he slammed into the wall trying to catch Chase Utley's go-ahead homer in the top of the seventh. The 22-year-old Cuban is batting .427 through 23 games with seven homers and 16 RBI and has been a key part of Los Angeles' longest winning streak of the season.
"As long as the team is winning, I don't want to take full credit," Puig said. "We're a pretty happy group, especially during this winning streak."
Capuano also deserves some credit and he brings a scoreless-innings streak into this start, an impressive 11-inning span that includes him pitching on short rest last time out.
In his return to action from a left shoulder injury, the veteran lefty logged six scoreless innings of three-hit ball on June 19 in a win over the New York Yankees. He returned to the hill on three days' rest last Sunday and scattered four hits over five innings, though he did not factor into a 3-1 win over San Diego.
"He's been great," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "He saved us today from having to make a roster move and do all kinds of the stuff that you don't necessarily want to do."
Capuano has not walked a batter over his shutout streak and has lowered his earned run average on the year from 5.45 before his injury to 4.09 along with a 2-4 record in 10 games (8 starts).
The 34-year-old has faced the Phillies seven times prior, including six starts, and is 1-2 against them with a 3.47 ERA.
Domonic Brown hit his 21st homer of the season for the Phillies on Thursday, Delmon Young went 4-for-4 and both Utley and Ben Revere had three hits. Utley's ninth homer of the season helped the Phils dig out of an early hole as starter Jonathan Pettibone yielded three first-inning runs.
However, he did not allow another run over his six-inning start.
"Jonathan settled in after that first inning," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He retired his last 15 batters. He gave us a chance to win. We had guys on base all night. We couldn't get the big hit."
The Phillies were coming off back-to-back wins in San Diego and have now split the first four of a 10-game road trip.
John Lannan looks to pick up his first victory of the season for the Phillies tonight.
Lannan has turned in consecutive five-inning outings since missing two months of action because of an injury to his left quadriceps. He is coming off an 8-0 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday, charged with six runs -- four earned -- on eight hits and three walks.
"I wasn't making pitches," said Lannan, who is 0-2 with a 5.84 ERA in five starts this season. "I struggled with what I wanted to do today."
The 28-year-old southpaw does have solid career numbers versus the Dodgers, going 4-1 with a 3.93 ERA in six previous meetings.
Though the Phillies won two of three in their last trip to Los Angeles, they still lost five of seven overall to the Dodgers in 2012.
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