ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Trea Turner hit two homers and drove in three runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled into the All-Star break Saturday night with a 7-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels to sweep the 2022 Freeway Series.
Max Muncy hit a three-run homer moments after Turner’s two-run shot in the third inning of the Dodgers' 15th victory in 17 games. Thanks to a rare Sunday off from MLB's schedulers, it was also their final game before at least five Dodgers take the field in Chavez Ravine for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night.
Freddie Freeman recorded his 1,000th career RBI and hit his first career homer at his childhood ballpark while the Dodgers finished another impressive first half at 60-30.
One night after Clayton Kershaw took a perfect game into the eighth inning, Julio Urías (8-6) had eight strikeouts over seven innings of five-hit ball while improving to 5-0 in his last six starts.
Brandon Marsh hit a late-inning homer to break up the Dodgers' shutout bid for the second straight night, but the Angels flopped into the break with their 12th loss in 14 games. Marsh homered in the seventh, and Shohei Ohtani had two singles for the 23rd multi-hit game of his second All-Star season.
Mike Trout was a late scratch for the Halos, missing his fourth straight game with upper back spasms. The 10-time All-Star selection was in the Angels’ lineup until about three minutes before the first pitch, and his availability for the All-Star Game is unclear.
José Suarez (1-4) yielded six runs on five hits and three walks while failing to get out of the fourth inning.
Turner warmed up for his appearance in the Midsummer Classic with a solo homer as the Dodgers' second batter, putting the Angels behind in the first inning for the fourth time on their five-game homestand. After Turner added his shot in the third, Muncy followed with his first homer in nine games.
LIGHT YEARS AWAY
The Dodgers swept all four games against the Angels this season by a combined 22-3 in a lopsided edition of the annual Freeway Series. The result was an appropriate illustration for the yawning chasm between these two organizations separated by only 35 miles.
The Dodgers are rolling toward their 10th consecutive playoff appearance with a wonderful roster and a fruitful farm system, while the incredibly top-heavy Angels will need a massive second-half turnaround to avoid their seventh straight losing season and eighth straight non-playoff campaign.
The Dodgers have won 60 games before the All-Star break for the fifth time in franchise history.
LOCAL KID MAKES GOOD
Freeman’s solo homer in the fifth also made him the 298th player in major league history to drive in 1,000 runs — and it was an undoubtedly special moment for a slugger raised in Villa Park, a mere 10 minutes from Angel Stadium. He grew up rooting for the Angels before getting drafted by Atlanta, and this two-game series was his first chance to play at the Big A since his rookie season.
Freeman isn’t on the NL All-Star team, yet he steamrolled into the break with his fifth multi-hit performance in six games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: Trout said Friday night that he intended to play Saturday and in the All-Star Game. The Halos pulled him midway through Tuesday's loss to Houston because he was moving gingerly in the outfield. Trout is batting .270 with 24 homers and 51 RBIs in 79 games this season, although he has just one multi-hit game and six total RBIs in the past three weeks.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: Hosting the Giants on Thursday after hosting the All-Star festivities.
Angels: At Atlanta on Friday to begin a six-game road trip.
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