Yoan Moncada hit a first-inning home run and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz pitched into the seventh inning as the visiting Los Angeles Angels pulled off a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to open a three-game series.
Zach Neto had a two-run double and Nolan Schanuel added a two-run single while Kochanowicz (2-5) gave up one run on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings for the Angels. Kochanowicz forced the Dodgers into four ground-ball double plays.
Former Dodgers right-hander Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth for the Angels in a non-save situation.
Shohel Ohtani had two hits with a home run against his former team, while Hyeseong Kim and Will Smith also had two hits for the Dodgers. Right-hander Dustin May (1-4) allowed four runs on six hits in five innings with two walks and eight strikeouts.
The Dodgers’ lackluster offensive production, that included five total double-play grounders, came one day after scoring 19 runs with 18 hits and eight walks in a victory over the Athletics.
Schanuel walked with one out in the first and Moncada followed with his third home run of the season for a 2-0 lead. The Angels doubled their advantage when Neto doubled to left field in the fourth to score Luis Rengifo and Matthew Lugo.
The Dodgers got on the scoreboard in the fourth to trail 4-1 when Smith singled and scored on a Max Muncy double.
Kochanowicz pitched into the seventh for the first time this season in nine starts. The last of his four double-play ground balls came one batter before he was replaced by right-hander Hector Neris.
Ohtani hit his home run off right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn with one out in the eighth, his major league-leading 16th. It was his third home run in five career games against the Angels.
The Angels added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth for a 6-2 lead on Schanuel’s two-run single to center off right-hander Ryan Loutos, who was making his Dodgers debut.
–Field Level Media
