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Angels pull away from Dodgers in Freeway Series finale

March 29, 2023

Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts connects for a single during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts rounds first base as he singles during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Dodgers’ Will Smith is congratulated in the dugout after driving in a run with a sacrifice fly ball during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Dodgers pitcher Ryan Pepiot throws to the plate during their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani walks to first base after drawing a walk during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Dodgers starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot throws to the plate during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Anthony Rendon follows through on an RBI double during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani rounds third base to score on a double by Anthony Rendon during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, right, scores past Dodgers catcher Will Smith on a double by Anthony Rendon during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is congratulated in the dugout after scoring on an Anthony Rendon double during the first inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers throws to the plate during the second inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Angels left fielder Taylor Ward makes a sliding catch on a fly ball hit by the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts during the second inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Dodgers’ Miguel Vargas, bottom, is forced out at second base as the Angels’ Luis Rengifo takes a throw from left fielder Taylor Ward for a double play during the second inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Dodgers’ Miguel Vargas reacts after he was forced out at second base by the Angels’ Luis Rengifo, not pictured, after a throw from left fielder Taylor Ward for a double play during the second inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dodgers left fielder Chris Taylor watches the ball bounce off the left field fence for an RBI double hit by the Angels’ Brandon Drury during the second inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Dodgers’ Max Muncy watches his RBI single during the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Mike Trout flies out to right field during the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe points as he reaches home plate after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Hunter Renfroe, at left, is high-fived by Mike Trout, bottom center, as he returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Luis Rengifo watches the flight of his solo home run during the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Luis Rengifo celebrates at home plate after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Angels’ Luis Rengifo is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a home run during the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dodgers starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot walks off the mound at the end of the third inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas connects for two-run single during the fifth inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Dodgers outfielder David Peralta, left, watches as center fielder James Outman catches a fly ball hit by the Angels’ Jeremiah Jackson during the fifth inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Angels’ Preston Palmeiro, right, greets Zach Neto, left, as he crosses home plate after they both scored on a Dodgers fielding error during the fifth inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Angels’ Preston Palmeiro slides home to score ahead of a tag attempt by Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes after a sacrifice fly by the Angels’ Chad Wallach, not pictured, during the seventh inning of their Freeway Series exhibition game on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Member of the Angels observe a moment of silence for the victims of the Nashville, Tenn. school shooting before their Freeway Series exhibition game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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ANAHEIM ― Angels left fielder Taylor Ward made a sliding catch in left-center field, popped up, and threw a strike to second base to complete a double play to end the second inning Tuesday against the Dodgers.

It was only one sequence in an exhibition game, but Ward wasn’t afraid to call it a good omen.

“I think it’s just a start that I want to the year, you know?” Ward said.

The Freeway Series was full of good omens for the Angels, who took two of the three games with a 13-5 victory over the Dodgers before an announced crowd of 36,067 at Angel Stadium. They are 19-3-2 in home exhibition games against the Dodgers since 2004.

The Dodgers (14-13-4) will host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night, Opening Day across Major League Baseball. The Angels (18-11-2) will travel to Oakland to play the A’s.

The Angels broke open a close game with four runs in the seventh inning against Dodgers pitcher Jake Pilarski, a minor leaguer pitching his third exhibition game. They added another run in the eighth to provide the final score. Carlos Estevez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close it out.

With no 26-man roster decisions hanging in the balance, the Dodgers used the game as a final tuneup for some of their regulars, and a chance for several minor leaguers to absorb a major league atmosphere on the field.

Starter Ryan Pepiot, who had already clinched the fifth starter’s job to begin the season, threw 86 pitches but didn’t make it out of the fourth inning.

Pepiot walked four batters and allowed five runs across his first five spring starts, then walked another four and allowed five more runs (all earned) in 3⅔ innings Tuesday. He allowed back-to-back home runs to Hunter Renfroe and Luis Rengifo in the third inning.

“I didn’t execute a lot of pitches,” Pepiot said. “I got behind guys. Left some stuff over the inner heart of the plate and got some balls hit hard.”

Angels left-hander Reid Detmers also saw his night end early. After striking out Freddie Freeman to begin the fourth inning, he allowed three straight hits – a double by Will Smith, a single by J.D. Martinez, an RBI single by Max Muncy – then walked Trayce Thompson to end his outing.

In six spring starts, Detmers allowed eight runs across 20 innings, walking eight batters and striking out 27. Only one pitcher (Yusei Kikuchi) recorded more strikeouts this spring. Detmers’ fastball topped out at 98 mph Tuesday, which eclipsed his top regular-season speed (96.1) last year.

“Obviously it feels good,” Detmers said. “It’s good to get outs. It doesn’t matter how hard you throw if you can’t get outs.”

Left-hander Kenny Rosenberg relieved Detmers and retired Miguel Vargas to end the fourth inning. The Dodgers tied the score at 5-5 on a two-run single by Miguel Rojas in the fifth.

By then, all of the Angels’ starters were done for the night. Manager Phil Nevin emptied his bench, which touched Dodgers right-hander Tayler Scott for three runs in the fifth inning. Zach Neto, the Angels’ first-round draft pick a year ago, singled in Osmy Gregorio for the go-ahead run. Neto finished 2 for 2 with a walk.

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A ground ball by Jordyn Adams, the Angels’ 2018 first-round pick, ate up Dodgers first baseman Kyle Nevin and trickled into right field to drive in two more runs. Adams also had two hits in the game.

Phil Nevin announced after the game that pitcher Tucker Davidson would make the Angels’ 26-man Opening Day roster. Pitcher Griffin Canning, who had been competing with Davidson for the sixth starter’s job, felt “a little something” in his groin while playing catch Monday and Tuesday, Nevin said, and will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

Canning missed all of last season with a back injury, but this injury is not considered serious.

“Tuck’s going to pitch out of the ’pen first,” Nevin said, “and it’s another valuable left arm to have out there. And as we get closer to (April 12) when we get back home, we’ll kind of evaluate it and see when we’re gonna make that start.”

Doug Padilla contributed to this story.

Orange County Register

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Angels pull away from Dodgers in Freeway Series finale

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