Angels, Dodgers keep rolling

The Los Angeles Angels are not in a pennant race, but are certainly having an impact on a team that is.

On Tuesday night, a five-run outburst in the top of the fifth inning led to a 5-1 victory over the Mariners, keeping them from rising out of a first place tie with the Houston Astros in the American League West.

The Halos got a strong start from Luis Soriano (6-7), who pitched 7.2 innings and yielded just three hits and one run. He struck out three batters and walked one.
At the plate, the Angels made the most out of four hits and two fielding errors by the M’s. The key blow was a double by Luis Rengifo that brought in two runs and improved his batting average to .314.

This second consecutive win over the M’s improved the Angels record to 44-57, still fourth in the American League West. They’ll go for a sweep of the series and a fourth straight win on Wednesday.

Dodgers still hot after break

With Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants at Chavez Ravine, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to be the hottest team in the National League after the All-Star break.

The Blue Crew posted fifth consecutive wins and opened up an 8.5-game lead over the second place San Diego Padres.

Key hits were doubles by Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani which each drove in two runs.

Landon Knack (2-2) pitched well, allowing only two hits and one run in five innings. He struck out six batters and walked two.

With five consecutive wins, the Dodgers are 61-41 and will take on the Giants (48-54) again on Wednesday and Thursday.