{"id":800291,"date":"2026-05-16T09:46:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/800291\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T09:46:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:46:19","slug":"dodgers-lean-on-three-homers-and-eight-pitchers-to-beat-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/800291\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers lean on three homers and eight pitchers to beat Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Dodgers<\/a> opened MLB rivalry weekend with a blast \u2014 three to be exact \u2014 in a 6-0 win<\/a> over the Angels<\/a> on Friday at Angel Stadium.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers also achieved something last year\u2019s World Series-winning team<\/a> couldn\u2019t \u2014 they beat the Angels. The Angels had won seven consecutive games<\/a> against the Dodgers, the franchise\u2019s longest winning streak against its crosstown rival.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t beat these guys last year, couldn\u2019t beat the Brewers last year [in the regular season],\u201d manager Dave Roberts said with a large smile. \u201cSo it was nice to beat these guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

What changed? The Dodgers\u2019 offense took command. They lit up Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz<\/a>\u2019s fastball. Andy Pages hit a three-run home run and Max Muncy<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Roberts praised Pages\u2019 ability to recover from slumps and not dwell too much on being uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cA young player, when it starts to go south, you can\u2019t stop it,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cThe 0-4 turns into a one for 20 pretty quickly. That\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Pages\u2019 at-bat, a pitch ricocheted off Angels catcher Logan O\u2019Hoppe\u2019s left hand. Playing in his first game since returning from the injured list, O\u2019Hoppe stayed in the game despite appearing to be in pain. He left in the sixth because of irritation in his left wrist \u2014 the same wrist he fractured on April 25.<\/p>\n

In the sixth, Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust getting the confidence back there,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cGetting 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hern\u00e1ndez had gone 23 days without a home run, and had been moved down in the lineup. The left fielder said he wasn\u2019t bothered by the change, though he joked about Pages taking his place as the sunflower seed shower manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s getting better,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez laughed. \u201cHe\u2019s going to have my job when I\u2019m not here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers pitcher Will Klein delivers during the first inning against the Angels at Angel Stadium on Friday.<\/p>\n

(Mark J. Terrill \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani<\/a> also put together good at-bats. He walked and had a double, but he also struck out twice.<\/p>\n

Freddie Freeman<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Freeman is expected to return to the lineup Saturday with Kyle Tucker taking the day off.<\/p>\n

\u201cTucker\u2019s been trending for a while, Will\u2019s been consistent, I think Teo\u2019s on the way back too,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dodgers (27-18) didn\u2019t need Freeman with the way their bullpen was pitching. Will Klein opened after Blake Snell was placed on the injured list<\/a> because of loose bodies in his left elbow. The Dodgers recalled left-hander Charlie Barnes to take Snell\u2019s place on the active roster.<\/p>\n

The quick pivot didn\u2019t affect the Dodgers much. The team relied on eight pitchers \u2014 Klein, Edgardo Henriquez, Blake Treinen, Wyatt Mills, Kyle Hurt, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Barnes \u2014 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\u2019s needed Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers now have a chance to do something last year\u2019s team couldn\u2019t: win a series against the Angels (16-29).<\/p>\n

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