Pierre added an RBI double over left fielder Juan Rivera's head in the seventh to make it 2-0, and singled in the ninth.
Was Pierre, who hit .462 in the series, trying to make a case for playing time as Manny Ramirez closes in on his return from a 50-game suspension?
"I can't control it, so why even think about it?" Pierre said. "What I'm doing is making the most of my opportunity."
The Angels finally scored in the eighth on third baseman Casey Blake's throwing error but squandered another bases-loaded situation when closer Jonathan Broxton struck out Aybar to end the inning.
Broxton gave up two runs in the ninth before collecting his 17th save when Mike Napoli, who represented the tying run with Rivera on first base, grounded out to end the game.
"We had plenty of opportunities and just didn't come through," Hunter said.
Kershaw is delivering plenty, even in inhospitable environs.
He has compiled a 1.80 earned-run average over his last three road starts and refused to get rattled when things got tough Sunday.
"The kid grew up in a hurry today," Torre said. "This has to do a lot for his confidence."
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ben.bolch@latimes.com