Hop on the Freeway; Halos vs. Dodgers

THE DODGERS and Angels begin a series on Friday (Flickr/Malingering)

Seeking to put a disappointing series in Seattle behind them, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will start a three-game Freeway Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday at the Big A.

After a 4-1 loss to the Mariners on Thursday, the Halos fell to 43-43, worth fourth place in the American League West. After the Dodgers’ 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are 47-39 and in first place in the National League West.

The 2018 season has shown these two teams on opposite trajectories. The Halos won 13 of their first 16 games and rose – briefly – into first place in the AL West, then slid down to fourth.  The Dodgers stumbled out of the gate, fell to fourth place but then turned red hot. Coming into Sunday’s game, they have won four straight.

Although the Dodgers have been more successful overall on the field since they began their regional rivalry, the Angels have done better in head-to-head competition.

The Angels won six of the first seven exhibition games between the two teams. dominating so much that the Dodgers refused to play them for a while. The coming of interleague play revived the Freeway Series, and since 1997 the Angels have won 63 times and the Dodgers 51 times.

Fernando Pena (1-0) will start for the Angels with Kenta Maeda (5-5) going for the visitors. The game is set to start at 7:07 p.m.