Angels drop final game of the first half and drop the series to the Dodgers

If you want to watch Angels baseball, you are going to have to wait until Friday. Unless of course you are watching the All Star Game on Tuesday - then at least you can see Mike Trout. Maybe the time off isn’t so bad. Gives people time to rest, recharge, and get over the fact that the Angels lost a series to the Dodgers as their gift to us going into this break.

David Fletcher gave us hope early on by leading off the game with a double off Clayton Kershaw. The bases were juiced for Jefry Marte after Trout and Kinsler walked, however he came up with 2 outs and struck out. Leaving all 3 stranded. Then he did this:

On his 5th pitch of the game, Deck McGuire hit Joc Pederson with a curve that started too far inside, and when you combine that with what happened to Marte’s bat in the top half of the inning - it was probably a sign of how this one was going to end up.

The Dodgers got to McGuire for 3 in the second inning and all hope seemed lost at that point with Kershaw on the mound. 3 runs might as well have been. BUT, the Angels fought back, Marte found a new bat, and this time with Upton and Kinsler on base - he went yard for a 3 run shot. Tie game. Take that Kershaw!

Of course Kershaw proceeded to out pitch McGuire, because duh and that 3 run shot would be the only runs the Angels would score all game.

Enrique Hernandez took Taylor Cole deep in the 7th and it put the Dodgers over the top for good. Rather unfortunate for Cole who had been pretty solid in his short Angels tenure so far.

There was no run allowed by Jansen this time around and he anchored this game for the Dodgers, logged a save, and sent everyone off to enjoy their break from meaningful games over the next 4 days.