ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Dodgers steamrolled right into the All-Star break, leaving the Angels flat.
After beating the Angels, 7-1, in the Freeway Series before a sellout crowd of 44,728 at Angel Stadium on Saturday night, the Dodgers have won 11 of their last 12 games to hit baseball’s mid-season hiatus as one of two big league teams with 60 victories.
Their recipe for success isn’t complicated.
“Cause we’re good,” said Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, who hit two homers on Saturday. “We have a lot of good players.”
At the other end of the spectrum are the Angels, who have lost 12 of their last 14 games in a nightmarish two months. Since they were 27-17, the Angels have gone 12-36.
The bad news for the Angels started even before the game, when All-Star Mike Trout was scratched because of back spasms. Trout, who has not started since Tuesday, had said a night earlier he would play, and he was in the lineup until minutes before the first pitch.
The opposite directions of the teams were clearly demonstrated in this two-game series, with the Dodgers embarrassing the Angels by outscoring them 16-2.
Turner got the beating started with a first-inning homer on a hanging curveball from Angels’ lefty Jose Suarez. Two innings later, Suarez tried a fastball at the top of the zone and Turner blasted that out too, for a two-run homer.
Later in the inning, Max Muncy drilled a three-run homer over the right-field fence.
Freddie Freeman got into the act with a solo homer in the fifth inning, which was the 1,000th RBI of his career. Freeman, an El Modena High product who grew up going to games at Angel Stadium, also doubled. He is now 16 for 24 in his last seven games, a torrid stretch since he was snubbed for the All-Star Game.
“To be able to get the 1,000th RBI in a place I came to as a kid with 20 or so family and friends in the stands is pretty special,” Freeman said. “You know, as a kid you dream about being a big-leaguer but you never think you’re going to get there. To get 1 RBI let alone 1,000, it’s pretty special. That number means I’ve had a lot of good people on my teams get on base a lot.”
The Dodgers provided much more cushion than left-hander Julio Urias needed against the Angels, whose offensive outage has now lasted for nearly two months.
Urias worked seven innings, allowing one run. He struck out eight and didn’t walk any.
“He pitched like an ace,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Really held his stuff all night long. Made the one mistake (a homer by Brandon Marsh), but outside of that was flawless. Just a great way to cap off a great first half for Julio.”
Luis Rengifo, one of the Angels’ most improved players lately, led off the game with an infield single when Muncy slipped fielding his grounder. It was one of two hits for Rengifo.
Shohei Ohtani followed Rengifo’s second hit with a single, giving the Angels runners at the corners with no outs in the sixth. Despite that opportunity to get back into the game, the Angels came up empty.
Taylor Ward hit a fly ball to shallow center, Max Stassi was called out on strikes and Jo Adell grounded out to Urias.
Adell also provided one of the encouraging moments in an otherwise dreary night for the Angels.
In the sixth, Adell caught a fly ball in deep right field and then uncorked a perfect throw to nail Jake Lamb at third base.
Marsh was responsible for the other highlight, when he blasted a homer against Urias in the seventh. It was the second homer in as many nights for Marsh, who had been in a .141 slump over his previous 27 games. A homer against a lefty was also a hopeful sign for Marsh, who has struggled against lefties.
Otherwise, the Angels had little to feel good about except the fact that they now have five days off for the All-Star break, allowing them to regroup.
“We’ll get together Thursday morning, work out and get on the plane to Atlanta,” manager Phil Nevin said. “We’ll talk about how we’re going to attack the second half. But getting away from it for a little bit. It’ll probably help some of the guys.”
(Staff writer Bill Plunkett contributed to this story.)
