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Angels lean on late surge, strong bullpen effort to defeat Athletics

Denzer Guzman hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the seventh inning Saturday night that sent the Angels to a 5-2 victory over the Athletics.

The Angels tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth on RBI singles by Oswald Peraza and Logan O’Hoppe.

Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn (4-3) struck out two in a scoreless seventh to earn the win and increase his hitless streak to 10 innings, with 19 strikeouts, over his last nine appearances.

Kirby Yates threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 100th career save and second this season.

Josh Lowe sparked the go-ahead rally with a one-out single off left-hander Geoff Hartlieb (0-1) in the seventh. Lowe stole second and scored for a 3-2 lead when Guzman hit a hard grounder down the line that third baseman Max Muncy couldn’t get his glove on.

Angels right-hander Sam Bachman escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth when he struck out pinch-hitter Carlos Cortes with a 100-mph sinker and got Muncy to fly out.

Angels starter Reid Detmers gave up two runs and four hits in 5⅔ innings, striking out eight and walking three. The left-hander increased his strikeout total to 112, third-most in the majors behind Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski (146) and Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease (128).

A’s starter Jack Perkins gave up two runs and four hits in five innings, striking out five and walking one.

The A’s took a 1-0 lead in the second when Jonah Heim crushed a first-pitch fastball that Detmers left over the heart of the plate. Heim sent a 109-mph drive 445 feet over the left-center field wall for his seventh homer.

The Angels countered with two runs in the fourth, a rally that began with Nolan Schanuel’s walk and Jorge Soler’s single. Wade Meckler struck out, but Jo Adell ripped a two-run triple into the left-field corner for a 2-1 lead.

The A’s tied it in the sixth when Nick Kurtz singled, Lawrence Butler walked and Colby Thomas lined a two-out RBI single to left.

The A’s, already playing without injured shortstop Jacob Wilson and second baseman Zach Gelof, lost Tyler Soderstrom when the left fielder was pulled in the third inning because of left hip soreness.

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Dodgers lean on three homers and eight pitchers to beat Angels

The Dodgers opened MLB rivalry weekend with a blast — three to be exact — in a 6-0 win over the Angels on Friday at Angel Stadium.

The Dodgers also achieved something last year’s World Series-winning team couldn’t — they beat the Angels. The Angels had won seven consecutive games against the Dodgers, the franchise’s longest winning streak against its crosstown rival.

“Couldn’t beat these guys last year, couldn’t beat the Brewers last year [in the regular season],” manager Dave Roberts said with a large smile. “So it was nice to beat these guys.”

What changed? The Dodgers’ offense took command. They lit up Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz’s fastball. Andy Pages hit a three-run home run and Max Muncy hit his 12th homer of the season on the next at-bat to break a scoreless game in the fourth inning. Both home runs came off four-seamers Kochanowicz left too far over the center of the plate.

Roberts praised Pages’ ability to recover from slumps and not dwell too much on being uncomfortable.

“A young player, when it starts to go south, you can’t stop it,” Roberts said. “The 0-4 turns into a one for 20 pretty quickly. That’s what happened last year at the end of the year. Now, he had a little swoon and found a way to let it be, take walks or get a hit here to there to do some damage control until you get back to swinging long.”

During Pages’ at-bat, a pitch ricocheted off Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe’s left hand. Playing in his first game since returning from the injured list, O’Hoppe stayed in the game despite appearing to be in pain. He left in the sixth because of irritation in his left wrist — the same wrist he fractured on April 25.

In the sixth, Teoscar Hernández tacked on two more runs with an opposite-field home run after an errant sinker from Kochanowicz. The 33-year-old wore a big smile after he crossed home and was showered in sunflower seeds.

“Just getting the confidence back there,” Hernández said. “Getting better pitches to hit, hitting the ball harder, getting on base, taking a lot more walks, just do[ing] the positive things for the team.”

Hernández had gone 23 days without a home run, and had been moved down in the lineup. The left fielder said he wasn’t bothered by the change, though he joked about Pages taking his place as the sunflower seed shower manager.

“It’s getting better,” Hernández laughed. “He’s going to have my job when I’m not here.”

Dodgers pitcher Will Klein delivers during the first inning against the Angels at Angel Stadium on Friday.

Dodgers pitcher Will Klein delivers during the first inning against the Angels at Angel Stadium on Friday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Shohei Ohtani also put together good at-bats. He walked and had a double, but he also struck out twice.

Freddie Freeman was notably absent. Roberts texted Freeman a couple nights ago and told him he would give him Friday off. Freeman, ever the competitor, tried to get Roberts to reconsider, but the Dodgers manager held firm.

Freeman is expected to return to the lineup Saturday with Kyle Tucker taking the day off.

“Tucker’s been trending for a while, Will’s been consistent, I think Teo’s on the way back too,” Roberts said. “We got a lot of guys that are swinging well, and to get Freddie off his feet tonight, I think it was a good thing in the midst of 13 in a row.”

The Dodgers (27-18) didn’t need Freeman with the way their bullpen was pitching. Will Klein opened after Blake Snell was placed on the injured list because of loose bodies in his left elbow. The Dodgers recalled left-hander Charlie Barnes to take Snell’s place on the active roster.

The quick pivot didn’t affect the Dodgers much. The team relied on eight pitchers — Klein, Edgardo Henriquez, Blake Treinen, Wyatt Mills, Kyle Hurt, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Barnes — to hold the Angels to two hits. No one ate up more innings than Klein, who struck out two and surrendered one hit across two innings. They also kept Tanner Scott fresh in case he’s needed Saturday.

“The only guy that went multiples was Klein, but, again, coming out of tonight the offensive run production allowed us to do that and give us a little coverage,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers now have a chance to do something last year’s team couldn’t: win a series against the Angels (16-29).

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