Zach Neto hit a pair of home runs, including his eighth leadoff shot of the season, and the Los Angeles Angels built a commanding lead before holding off a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7–4 on Monday night at Angel Stadium. Entering the game as +140 underdogs, the Angels improved to 4–0 in the 2024 Freeway Series and handed the defending World Series champions their 12th loss since the All-Star break.
Neto reached base five times in his third career multi-homer game. He wasted no time putting the Angels in front, sending Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s first game pitch 418 feet to left field for his 18th home run of the season. In the sixth inning, Neto added a solo shot to extend the lead to 7–0.
Angels starter José Soriano turned in one of his best performances of the year, holding the Dodgers to two singles over six scoreless innings. Soriano walked two, struck out five, and improved his record to 8–9. The Dodgers managed just one baserunner in scoring position against him.
Yamamoto, one of the Dodgers’ most reliable starters this season, had one of his toughest outings. The right-hander allowed six runs on six hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings, dropping to 10–8. His struggles peaked in the fifth inning, when Bryce Teodosio and Neto reached base ahead of Mike Trout, who drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single. Yoán Moncada and Gustavo Campero each added RBI singles later in the inning, chasing Yamamoto from the game.
The Dodgers entered the eighth inning trailing by seven runs but mounted a brief comeback. Shohei Ohtani, facing his former team, hit a solo home run to right field for his 42nd of the season, marking his third consecutive game with a homer. Ohtani extended his hitting streak to 10 games, recording nine hits and four home runs. Max Muncy followed with a three-run homer to cut the Angels’ lead to 7–4.
The rally ended when Connor Brogdon came out of the bullpen to record the final out of the inning. Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth, securing his 22nd save in 24 opportunities.
The game included a concerning moment in the eighth when Campero collided with the short porch in right field while chasing Muncy’s home run. He was carted off the field with a lower-body injury and will undergo further evaluation.
The loss tightened the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to just one game over the San Diego Padres, marking the smallest margin since June 14. Los Angeles is now 10–12 since the All-Star break.
The series continues Tuesday night, with Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan (3–2, 3.00 ERA) scheduled to face Angels reliever Victor Mederos, who will serve as an opener in a bullpen game after Tyler Anderson was scratched due to a back injury.
