Fri Jun 27 11:01:09 2008

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Angels, Dodgers set to do battle in LA

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(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim attempt to keep their recent strong play going when the American League West leaders face a team they've enjoyed great success against of late, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two local rivals start up a three-game set tonight at Dodger Stadium, with the Angels coming in having won five of their last six contests.

Anaheim has also gotten the upper hand in the Freeway Series in recent years. The Angels have won nine of their last 11 games against the Dodgers and took two of three matchups from Joe Torre's bunch last month at Angel Stadium. In 2007, the Angels emerged victorious in five of the six meetings between these teams.

The Angels did have a five-game win streak halted with Wednesday's 5-4 road loss to Washington. The Nationals' Jesus Flores singled home Elijah Dukes with the winning run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Casey Kotchman went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Angels, while Erick Aybar finished with a pair of hits and scored twice.

Ervin Santana worked the first six innings for Anaheim and allowed four runs on four hits while striking out eight. Scot Shields (3-2) was charged with the loss after surrendering the deciding run in the ninth.

Despite Wednesday's setback, the Angels own a major league-best 26-13 road record this season and have won 10 of their last 12 as the visitor.

Tonight's scheduled starter, Joe Saunders, has also excelled in enemy parks thus far in 2008. The emerging left-hander is 6-1 with a 1.89 earned run average in seven away starts, and maintained his success on the road with a sharp seven innings Saturday at Philadelphia.

Saunders held the Phillies to two runs and five hits in Anaheim's 6-2 triumph, which ran the 27-year-old's season record to 11-3. He is tied with Arizona's Brandon Webb and Cleveland's Cliff Lee for the major-league lead in victories and can surpass both hurlers with a win tonight.

Prior to Saturday's win over the Phillies, Saunders spun 7 1/3 shutout frames to defeat Atlanta on June 15.

The former first-round draft choice also owns a win over the Dodgers this season. That came on May 16, with Saunders allowing just two runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings of work.

Chan Ho Park makes his second start since being inserted into the Dodgers' injury-plagued rotation. The Korean veteran threw five excellent innings against Cleveland this past Saturday, although he didn't factor in the decision of his team's 7-2 loss.

Park limited the Indians to just one run and three hits and fanned nine batters, his highest strikeout total since 2002.

The Dodgers' normal long reliever did make a spot start against the Angels on May 17, surrendering two runs -- one earned -- through four innings of a 6-3 Dodgers' win. For his career, Park is 5-7 with a 5.75 ERA versus Anaheim.

Park hopes to get some support from a Dodger offense that was shut out by the White Sox' John Danks and four relievers in Chicago's 2-0 victory on Thursday. The Dodgers mustered just five hits in the rubber match of their three-game series with the Sox.

Chicago made a pair of early runs off Clayton Kershaw (0-2) hold up, with the rookie hurler lasting just four innings and giving up six hits while walking four.

The Dodgers are just 2-4 on a nine-game homestand and enter this series trailing Arizona by 3 1/2 games for first place in the NL West.