Freeway Series Shifts to Angel Stadium

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

David Freese committed two costly mistakes Tuesday night as the Angels dropped the Freeway Series’ second game, 5-4.

Freese’s throwing error in the sixth inning allowed Matt Kemp to reach first base. Kemp stole second and advance to third as Chris Iannetta’s throw sailed into center field, eventually scoring on Andy Van Slyke’s sac fly.

A 3-3 tie in the bottom of the ninth, Kevin Jepsen immediately put runners on the corners with one out, prompting the Angels to transition into a five-man infield. Freese fielded Andre Ethier’s grounder cleanly, but his throw sailed to Iannetta’s left just as Juan Uribe crossed home plate.

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The loss snaps a three-game winning streak over the Boys in Blue, dating back to last season, and concludes a 4-4 road trip.

A change of scenery may do the Angels good. They hold the Majors’ best home records and have only lost one series at Angels Stadium since early May. With the Dodgers’ aces out of the way, Wednesday and Thursday night’s contests are chances to expose weaknesses in back end of the rotation.

Pitching Matchup – Matt Shoemaker (9-3, 4.09 ERA) vs. Dan Haren (8-9, 4.76 ERA)

One can only wonder where the Angels would be without Matt Shoemaker. He’s won four of his last five outings and hasn’t allowed more than two runs in all but one outing since July 3.

Shoemaker battled through five shaky innings in Tampa Bay last Friday to earn his second straight victory. Coupled with an eight-inning shutout of Detroit July 26, the 27-year-old righty holds a 1.50 ERA over the last 15 innings. It’s a welcomed sight given Tyler Skaggs‘ injury and Hector Santiago‘s inconsistency.

His first-ever appearance against the Dodgers comes as a familiar face makes his way back to Angel Stadium.

Dan Haren was a workhorse in his two-plus season in Anaheim. He finished seventh in 2011 Cy Young voting, compiling a 16-10 record, and shouldered a team-high 34 starts. Nagging backs injuries led to a 12-13 mark in 2012 and the team’s refusal to extend his contract.

After an underwhelming season in Washington, Haren finds himself in the Dodgers’ starting rotation. He’s lost five in a row and hasn’t seen the seventh inning since June 30. There’s no double a lack of velocity correlates with his back issues, the only question now is how long Don Mattingly will stick with the wounded right-hander.

Haren is 3-6 with a 3.75 ERA lifetime against the Angels but hasn’t faced them since 2007. He’s 19-18 at the “Big A,” dating back to his days with Oakland.

Walk offs:

1. Mike Trout’s 20-game hit streak in Interleague play currently the longest in the Majors.
2. Albert Pujols is 4-for-15 with a homer off Haren, his former St. Louis Cardinals teammate.
3. The Angels are 18-5 over their last seven home series’.

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