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Freeway Series up for grabs in Anaheim

Jul 3, 2011 - 2:43 PM (Sports Network) - Winners in four of their last five outings, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim try to take two of three from the Dodgers for the second time in the last 10 days as they close out an interleague set with their National League counterparts at home.

The Angels, who won two of three at Dodger Stadium last weekend, rebounded from a 5-0 shutout on Friday night by putting up a resounding 7-1 win versus the ailing Dodgers yesterday and by doing so closed to within a game of Texas for first place in the American League West.

Jered Weaver tossed eight innings of one-run ball for the hosts as he picked up his 10th win of the season against just four setbacks. The Angels starter surrendered four hits and walked two while fanning eight as he gave up one run or less for the sixth time in his last eight appearances.

"The guys came out and did a heck of a job tonight. Anytime you can get a six or seven run lead, it takes a lot of the pressure off you," said Weaver.

Weaver, who now leads the AL in ERA with a mark of 1.92, was speaking of Vernon Wells who contributed with a two-run home run, as well as Erick Aybar and Bobby Abreu who also both plated a pair for the victors.

Andre Ethier accounted for two of the five hits by the Dodgers, while James Loney scored the lone run for the visitors in the fifth inning.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw was saddled with his fourth loss of the campaign as he permitted seven runs -- six earned -- on nine hits over six innings. Kershaw did manage to strike out 10 batters in the losing effort as well.

With the defeat the Dodgers, just 3-8 in this series the last two years, now find themselves all alone in last place in the NL West, 10 games under .500 and 11 games out of contention.

Anxious to get his season on track, right-hander Ervin Santana is set to take the ball for the Angels tonight in the series finale. Santana, who was a career-best 17-10 a season ago, has but three wins in 11 decisions in 2011.

The seven-year veteran failed to win a single game in the month of June and the Angels behind him dropped four of his five appearances overall. However, on Monday the team managed to pick up a 4-3 win against Washington at home as Santana permitted just two runs on five hits, while striking out five in eight innings of action.

Santana, who hasn't won since May 25, has a record of 3-3 to go along with a 3.93 ERA in six career games versus the Dodgers.

Countering for Los Angeles this time around is right-hander Chad Billingsley. Just 1-3 with a 4.28 ERA in his career versus the Angels, the six-year vet logged his seventh win of the season earlier this week as the Dodgers crushed Minnesota in a 15-0 decision.

Billingsley worked through six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and a couple of walks while striking out four in the triumph.

Keeping the Dodgers relevant for the time being has been Matt Kemp who is ranked in the top-three in the NL in home runs (22), batting average (.327) and RBI (64).

In terms of interleague play over the years, the Dodgers have produced a record of 109-128 while the Angels are one of the best in the business with an impressive 151-114 mark all-time.