Dodgers Send Angels Back On The Freeway With A 6-Game Losing Streak

Every Dodgers, and Angels fans have been waiting for this series since the start of the 2015 MLB regular season, the Freeway series.

The Freeway series is such a great rivalry for Southern California. As Dodgers, and Angels fans will be looking to have bragging rights to say that they’re the best team in the Los Angeles area for the 2015 regular season.

The second half of the season for the Angels and Dodgers, have looked different, but have both ended up with the same outcome so far.

Since the All-Star break both the Angels and Dodgers have won 7 of their last 14 games for a .500 win pct, which makes you think that the Angels and Dodgers have played the same, but they really haven’t.

After the All-Star break, the Angels started the second half of the season with a six-game winning streak. Which was followed up with a losing stench, as the Angels have lost the six of the last seven games heading into the Freeway series.

The Angles are coming off a devastating sweep from the Houston Astros, as they sit two games back in the American League West division, heading into the three-game series against the Dodgers.

As for the Dodgers, they started the second half of the season with a strong performance against one of the top teams in the National League, beating the Washington Nationals twice in a three-game series on the road.

The Dodgers then followed it up with inconsistent play, which very much resembles how they’ve played all season long.

"Dodgers have split the last two series against the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets"

Could a trip to Chavez Ravine for a three-game series change the Angels hopes of trying to get back on top, or would the Dodgers just increase their division lead?

Well it turned out great for the Dodgers as they increased their lead from the Giants by two in a half games in the NL West. As the Angels drop four games behind the Astros in the AL West, they get swept in back-to-back series, increasing their losing streak to six games.

The last time the Dodgers swept the Angels was back in 2006 when the Dodgers hosted the Angels for a three-game series.

So, how did the Dodgers pull off the sweep?

Well the Dodgers had stellar pitching from their aces, Clayton Kershaw, and Zack Greinke for the first two games, with their newly acquired Mat Latos for the final game in the Freeway series.

Along with the great pitching came the bats of the Dodgers as they gave all their pitchers great leads to work with.

In the first game, the Dodgers took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, with a solo home run shot from Howie Kendrick, as Kendrick is facing his former team for the first time, since be trading to the Dodgers in the offseason.

Greinke followed the next seven innings with strong pitching, striking out eight, and allowing the Angels to only two runs.

Angels tied the game in the fourth inning at 1-1, but the Dodgers backed up the bottom of the fourth, and fifth inning with two runs in each inning, to give them a 5-1 lead heading into the top of the ninth.

Don Mattingly then turned to his closer, Kenley Jansen to replace Greinke. Jansen did close the game, but gave up a solo home run to Mike Trout, for a final score of 5-2.

Clayton Kershaw followed up the second game with another exceptional pitching performance, as he out performed the Angels rookie, Andrew Heaney who was riding a five game winning streak.

The game started off with great pitching on both sides as both the Angels and Dodgers went scoreless in the first five innings, until the Dodgers opened up the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

"Angels didn’t get a man to second base until the ninth inning"

Kenley Jansen then replaced Kershaw, for the second straight close, and ended up giving up one run again, but still landed the win for the Dodgers.

Kershaw extends his scoreless streak to 37 innings, and is the first pitcher with 4 straight starts of at least 8 scoreless innings pitched since Orel Hershiser in 1988.

Aug 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher

Mat Latos

(55) in the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

In the final game of the series, the Dodgers newly acquired Mat Latos looked for his first win in Dodger blue, as he could sweep the Angles.

The Angels gave the ball to Cory Rasmus, looking to avoid back-to-back sweeps, but things didn’t quite work out for Rasmus.

Howie Kendrick got the Dodgers on the board first with his second home run against his former team, giving them a 2-0 lead in the third inning.

The Angels then eventually tied the game in the eighth inning when Kole Calhoun hit a solo shot to center field (Calhoun scored in the sixth inning off of Albert Pujols groundout).

Andre Ethier responded to Calhoun’s solo home run with his own solo shot to re-take the lead, but the Angels then tied it back at three in the ninth inning.

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Chris Iannetta doubled to center field to bring in Erick Aybar, who lead the inning with a leadoff single, and stole second base after Conor Gillaspie struck out for the second out of the inning. But what do you think happened next?

Well the Dodgers did respond, but it wasn’t until the tenth inning of the game, as Ethier hit a walk-off 2-run homer to right field, for his second home run of the game.

With all the trade rumors involving Andre Ethier, the Dodgers should be thankful that they didn’t, as Andre Ethier leads the Dodgers over the Angels.

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