FREDDIE FREEMAN hit a game-winning grand slam against he Red Sox (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Dodgers and the Angels started the “second half” of the 2024 Major League Baseball season in very different fashions.

The Blue Crew got a big hit in the eighth inning to defeat the Boston Red Sox and the Halos fell behind early and lost big to the Oakland A’s up north

Freddie’s timely grand slam

Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Dodgers got a grand slam home run from Freddie Freeman to lift the team to a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox at home.

Jarren Duran’s solo home run in the top of the fifth inning was the only run of the game until Freeman’s mighty blow, scoring Shohei Ohtani, Miguel Vargas and Will Smith.

Gavin Stone pitched well, yielding six hits and one run over five innings. He struck out three and walked none.

With the win, the Dodgers are 57-41, still first in the National League West.

Outplayed in Oakland … again

The Oakland A’s continued their mastery of the Angels with a 13-3 shellacking of the Orange County team.  They broke open a 6-3 game with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Overall, the A’s tagged five Angels’ pitchers for 14 hits, including three home runs. The Angels had nine hits, including solo homers by Zach Neto  (his 13th) and Nolan Schanuel (ninth).

Griffin Canning (3-10) took the loss, lasting 3.1 innings and giving up six hits and six runs. He struck out three batters and walked two.

The Angels are 41-56, fourth in the American League West.