Shohei Ohtani and Justin Bour homered off Kenta Maeda in a five-run first inning, and the Los Angeles Angels hung on to sweep the two-game Freeway Series with a 5-3 victory over the majors-leading Dodgers on Tuesday night.
After Ohtani homered against a fellow Japanese star for the second time in four days, Bour hit a three-run homer in his first plate appearance following his return from a three-week banishment to the minors.
The Angels didn’t score again, but the Dodgers stranded 15 runners and lost Corey Seager to a ninth-inning baserunning injury while losing consecutive games for only the second time since April 23-24.
Max Muncy hit two homers for the Dodgers, who hadn’t lost a series since April 29-May 1 in San Francisco.
David Freese delivered a pinch-hit homer leading off the eighth inning for the Dodgers, but Hansel Robles got five perilous outs for his ninth save.
After Robles struck out Cody Bellinger to end the eighth, the Dodgers’ first two batters singled in the ninth. Seager likely would have scored on Alex Verdugo’s single, but he appeared to injure his hamstring, pulling up in pain at third and leaving the game.
Robles then struck out Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez before getting Russell Martin on a groundout to close the Angels’ third win in four games.
Although Maeda (7-3) didn’t yield a hit or a run after the first inning, he lasted just 4 1/3 innings in the pitching-rich Dodgers’ shortest start since May 4.
Maeda had given up only six total runs in his past five starts while going 4-0, but the Angels improbably jumped on him for five early runs.
Three games after Ohtani homered and singled off Seattle’s Yusei Kikuchi, the slugger took Maeda deep to right with two outs in the first for his seventh homer of the season.
The Angels added Brian Goodwin’s RBI single and a three-run shot by Bour, who returned from Triple-A in style with his fifth homer. The former Tampa Bay slugger went down to Salt Lake after getting off to a .163 start in his first season with the Angels.
After Cam Bedrosian opened, Félix Peña (4-1) gave up both of Muncy’s homers and six hits over 3 2/3 innings.
Two days after Muncy’s much-discussed homer and a subsequent not-so-friendly chat with San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner, he connected for solo shots in the third and fifth innings, giving him 15 homers this season — 11 on the road.
The Dodgers’ pitching staff largely shut down the Angels’ offense after that rough first inning, and Freese homered on the first pitch of the eighth to trim the Halos’ lead to two runs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: Lefty reliever Scott Alexander went on the injured list with left forearm inflammation. The move was retroactive to Saturday. He warmed up to pitch Monday in Anaheim, but the pain flared up. The club recalled LHP Caleb Ferguson from Triple-A Oklahoma City, and he pitched 1 2/3 innings of two-hit relief against the Angels.
Angels: OF Justin Upton played his fourth straight minor league game in his comeback from turf toe, which has sidelined him for the entire season. Upton could return during the Angels’ upcoming 11-game road trip. … SS Andrelton Simmons is nearly ready to face live pitching in his return from a sprained left ankle. He hopes to return to the Angels this month.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: After a day off to attend a charity gala at Dodger Stadium featuring a performance by Bruno Mars, the major league leaders send Clayton Kershaw (5-1, 3.00 ERA) to the mound in Chavez Ravine against the Cubs to open an 11-game homestand.
Angels: After a late-night flight and a day off in Tampa, Tyler Skaggs (4-6, 4.97 ERA) takes the mound in the first of four against the Rays to kick off an 11-game road trip.
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