• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Angels-Dodgers Preview

Aug 2, 2015 - 1:58 AM Mat Latos has a chance to quickly ingratiate himself to the Los Angeles Dodgers fan base in his club debut.

He can pitch the Dodgers to their first three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in over nine years Sunday as he seeks his second career victory at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers (59-45) acquired Latos on Thursday in a 13-player deal with Atlanta and Miami. Latos (4-7, 4.48 ERA) was in his first season with the Marlins after previously pitching for Cincinnati and San Diego.

The right-hander, who is making $9.4 million in the final year of his contact, has gone 1-5 with a 3.34 ERA in six starts as a visitor in Dodger Stadium.

Latos has faced the Angels (55-48) once, allowing three runs in 6 2-3 innings in a 5-4 victory for Cincinnati in April 2013. Mike Trout had a double in three at-bats against him in their only meeting.

Other Angels have more experience versus Latos. Shane Victorino is 3 for 10 with a homer in this matchup while Albert Pujols and Chris Iannetta each have gone 2 for 8.

Facing Latos can be considered a break for the Angels after they were beaten by Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw in the first two games. Kershaw fired eight scoreless innings of two-hit ball in Saturday's 3-1 victory.

The Angels, who have 10 hits and 18 strikeouts in the first two games, seek to avoid an 0-6 trip and their first single-season six-game losing streak since July 26-31, 2013.

"We'll keep moving forward and hopefully start to get a little more continuity on the offensive side and start to regain some momentum," said manager Mike Scioscia, who was ejected Saturday for the second time in 2015. "I think we're holding tight in these games, we're just not able to get a little momentum to get the big hit and have been on the wrong side of them."

The Dodgers can complete their first three-game Freeway Series sweep since May 19-21, 2006. They have captured five straight meetings for the first time.

"Obviously it feels good for us, that kind of team over there, to be able to do that, it's not an easy thing," manager Don Mattingly said.

Trout fell a double short of the cycle in Friday's 5-3 defeat before going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts the next day. Pujols is 2 for 8 in this series while Victorino is hitless in six at-bats.

Kole Calhoun, who had three hits Friday, figures to be back in the lineup after not starting Saturday with the left-hander Kershaw on the mound.

The Dodgers' Yasmani Grandal drilled a two-run homer Saturday and is 6 for 8 in the series.

"Yas is a guy who can swing the bat, obviously a guy who puts two runs on the board right there," Mattingly said.

The Angels figure to use multiple pitchers since right-hander Cory Rasmus (0-0, 0.00) will make his first 2015 start after he was recalled Thursday from Triple-A Salt Lake. Rasmus, pitching in the spot of the injured C.J. Wilson, struck out the side on 12 pitches in an inning of relief Friday and his innings will likely be limited.