Zach Neto opened the game with his eighth leadoff homer of the season, added another blast in the sixth, and reached base five times as the Los Angeles Angels held off a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 on Monday night.
Mike Trout delivered a two-run single, and Yoán Moncada drove in two more runs, helping the Angels improve to a perfect 4-0 in this year’s Freeway Series.
The Dodgers, who entered the night leading the National League West by two games, saw their margin shrink to just one over San Diego after the Padres beat San Francisco.
José Soriano (8-9) was dominant for the Angels, holding the defending World Series champions to just two singles and two walks over six scoreless innings. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-8) struggled in one of his worst starts of the season, giving up six runs on six hits and five walks before being chased in the fifth.
Neto wasted no time putting the Angels ahead, crushing Yamamoto’s first pitch of the night in Anaheim for his 18th home run. In the fifth, Bryce Teodosio and Neto scored on Trout’s bases-loaded single, followed by RBI from Moncada and Gustavo Campero to cap a four-run inning.
The Angels built a 7-0 lead before the Dodgers mounted an eighth-inning surge. Shohei Ohtani, in his third straight game with a homer, launched his 42nd of the season — extending his August hitting streak to 10 games. Max Muncy followed with a three-run shot to cut the deficit, but Connor Brogdon escaped the inning and Kenley Jansen closed it out for his 22nd save.
The win came at a cost for the Angels, as right fielder Campero was injured chasing Muncy’s homer and had to be carted off the field.
Key Moment:
The Angels’ four-run fifth inning, capped by Trout’s two-run single, broke open the game and knocked Yamamoto out early.
Key Stat:
The Dodgers have gone 10-12 since the All-Star break.
Up Next:
On Tuesday, the Dodgers will send Emmet Sheehan (3-2, 3.00 ERA) to the mound against Angels reliever Victor Mederos, who will open a bullpen game in place of the injured Tyler Anderson.
