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Dodgers-Angels Preview

Jun 19, 2009 - 6:36 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Los Angeles (44-23) at Los Angeles (35-29), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Getting back to interleague play has helped the Los Angeles Angels produce their longest winning streak of the season.

In their attempt to their seventh in a row, the Angels will face one of the NL's top pitchers in Friday night's opener of a three-game series with the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.

Following four losses in five games against AL opponents, the Angels (35-29) recorded three-game sweeps of visiting San Diego and at San Francisco, including Wednesday's 4-3 comeback victory over the Giants.

Despite injuries to sluggers Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu, the Angels improved to a major league-best 8-1 in interleague play.

Hunter was held out of the starting lineup for a second straight game after bruising his ribs in a crash against the wall Monday, but he started a three-run rally in the eighth with a pinch single off reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

Guerrero, who has been limited during his recovery from a torn chest muscle, came off the bench to deliver another base hit. Chone Figgins then doubled to drive home Hunter and scored the go-ahead run on Juan Rivera's groundout.

"We beat one of the best in the game this afternoon, and we can carry a little momentum from that," manager Mike Scioscia said.

Hunter is expected to return to the lineup Friday, and Guerrero will likely start at designated hitter as the Angels look to win seven straight for the first time since May 31-June 7, 2008. Abreu (stiff neck) remains day-to-day.

The next task for Angels, who have batted .350 during their run to boost their average to a major league-best .282, is to try to beat the Chad Billingsley (9-3, 2.72 ERA) for the second time this season.

Billingsley, attempting to become the NL's first 10-game winner, is also trying to win four straight starts for the second time this season, but he could use a better performance than his previous outing against the Angels - a 10-7 home loss May 24.

The right-hander gave up a season-high five runs, four earned, and dropped to 1-2 in three career starts against the Dodgers' freeway rival. Billingsley beat the Angels last season with seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 home victory on June 28.

The Dodgers (44-23), however, are 6-18 in Anaheim since 2001 and dropped two of three there last season. They also lost a three-game home series to the Angels last month and have dropped 12 of the past 17 overall meetings.

With Thursday's 3-2 win against visiting Oakland, Dodgers manager Joe Torre recorded his 2,195th regular-season victory, moving past Sparky Anderson for fifth on the all-time list. Mark Loretta's pinch single in the seventh pushed across James Loney with the go-ahead run.

"If you told me a dozen years ago that I'd be in this rarefied air, I'd tell you you're full of baloney," Torre said. "I've admired what Sparky did for all those years, and I'm proud to be in that company."

The Dodgers, 11-4 on the road since May 13, will face an Angels staff that has a 2.83 ERA in the last six games, and Joe Saunders (7-4, 3.66) comes in searching for consecutive victories after allowing one run over 8 1-3 innings in Saturday's 9-1 win over San Diego.

Saunders, who has split his two starts against the Dodgers, was 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA over his previous five starts. He opened the season 5-1 with a 2.66 ERA.