, but everybody in blue was much more excited about Ruiz's electric debut.The 22-year-old catcher from Venezuela started behind the plate with Dustin May, his batterymate throughout the minors. In the third inning, Ruiz mashed a 1-1 fastball from Julio Teheran (0-2).The homer in the quiet, empty stadium prompted ecstatic, echoing cheers from his new teammates, who dispatched pitcher Julio Urias to find the souvenir ball amid the tarps and unoccupied seats.''That's a memory that he and his family will have forever,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ''Playing big league baseball is a joy in itself, but when moments like that happen, it just takes everyone back to their first (game). You remember that, and you remember what it meant. It just disconnects us from that moment in the game and puts all that attention on the player, which is special.'' Ruiz is generally ranked the third-best prospect in the Dodgers' perpetually bountiful farm system, and he earned his promotion with impressive work at the Dodgers' alternate training site on the USC campus. He became the seventh player in the franchise's 131-year history to homer in his first at-bat, and the first since Garey Ingram in 1994.Ruiz said this game was the fulfillment of a dream ''since I was 5 years old and started playing baseball.'' ''I've just got to keep working and doing my thing,'' he added. ''I just need to keep learning from these guys and be focused for the next opportunity.'' With plenty of power and much more pitching than the Angels, the Dodgers swept a three-game series at Angel Stadium for the first time since interleague play began in 1997, although the Halos still hold a 70-57 overall lead in the rivalry.Anthony Rendon homered for the fifth time in six games for the Angels, who have lost four straight. Brian Goodwin also homered and David Fletcher extended his hitting streak to a career-high 15 games, but the big-budget Halos have matched the slowest start in franchise history at 7-15.''They are better than us right now,'' Angels manager Joe Maddon said. ''They beat us primarily (with) pitching. We'll play them again at the end of the season. We have tough games all week. If you become easily discouraged, you shouldn't be doing this. Looking in (the) rear view won't do us much good.'' Muncy added his two-run shot in the third, and Seager connected off Matt Andriese for his fifth homer in the fourth.May lasted only 4 1/3 innings for the Dodgers, giving up seven hits and two runs with two strikeouts on 88 pitches.Scott Alexander (1-0) gave up three hits and a run over two innings.Rendon hit the sixth homer of his ascendant season leading off the fourth. Fletcher singled in the fifth, extending the Angels' longest hitting streak since 2017. Goodwin homered in the sixth.ROUGH STARTTeheran struggled again with his new team, yielding six hits and four runs in 3 1/3 innings.''I made two mistakes that were big,'' said Teheran, who signed as a free agent last winter. ''At this level, when you make a mistake, they make you pay.'' Teheran's ERA is up to 12.38 over three starts, and the Angels will ''look at reassessing his approach,'' Maddon said.''He wasn't sharp and there's nothing to build off,'' Maddon said of Teheran, who reported late to summer camp after contracting coronavirus. ''We need to keep starting him and stretching him out more. He has been affected by the late start more than anyone.'' TRAINER'S ROOMDodgers: Rios left the game in the bottom half of the second. ... Alex Wood was scheduled for a bullpen session Sunday. He made just one start before going on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation.Angels: Slumping 40-year-old Albert Pujols sat out back-to-back games - the first time that's happened when he was healthy during his nine seasons in Anaheim. The three-time NL MVP recently reached 659 homers to move right behind Willie Mays for fifth place in baseball history, but he's batting .186.UP NEXTDodgers: Ross Stripling (3-1, 3.97 ERA) takes the Dodger Stadium mound when they open a two-game interleague series against the Seattle Mariners, who counter with Justin Dunn (1-1, 4.85).Angels: Griffin Canning (0-3. 4.42 ERA) takes another shot at his first victory when they open a two-game interleague series at home against the similarly struggling San Francisco Giants.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Rendon, Angels look to avoid sweep vs. DodgersThe Los Angeles Angels will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif., in the final game of the three-game Freeway Series, hoping that the recent emergence of third baseman Anthony Rendon is not too late in this shortened season.Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels in the offseason, but he did not get off to a good start. An oblique injury kept him out of the first four games, and then once he began playing, he slumped.Rendon had just four hits across 39 at-bats in 12 games, with no home runs. But on Aug. 10, his fortunes seemed to turn on a dime.In his last five games, Rendon is hitting .412 (7-for-17) with four homers, six RBIs, five walks and six runs scored. Two of his outs in a 1-for-4 showing Saturday against the Dodgers were lineouts, as he continues to hit the ball hard."He looks good, and it's going to continue to trend upward," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "He says he's feeling good in the box, and it's gonna keep getting better, so not a surprise to me at all. I've seen it." As much as the Angels expected more from Rendon, offense hasn't been the problem for the club. They rank 11th out of 30 teams in the majors in runs scored (101) -- and three-time MVP Mike Trout has a whopping eight homers in 11 August games -- but they rank just 21st in ERA (4.61).The Angels' other major free agent signing was right-hander Julio Teheran (0-1, 13.50 ERA), who will start Sunday's game after similarly getting off to a slow start. Teheran tested positive for COVID-19, reported late to summer camp and didn't make his first start of the season until Aug. 5.In his two starts, he's failed to last as long as three innings, giving up a total of seven runs on seven hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.Maddon said he thinks Teheran just isn't quite ready physically because of his abbreviated camp. But Teheran won't use it as an excuse."I don't feel that's an excuse I need to take into every game," Teheran said. "I feel like there's stuff I need to be working on, and I prefer to be working on it at this level, facing the big league hitters. That's how I'm going to realize when all my pitches are working." In his career against the Dodgers, all while pitching for the Atlanta Braves, Teheran has not fared well -- he's 0-6 with a 5.33 ERA in eight starts.Dustin May (1-1, 2.75 ERA) will start for the Dodgers, who won 7-6 in 10 innings on Saturday night, with Trout striking out for the game's final out.May has never faced the Angels, but he won't be an unknown to his opponents, as he is already building a reputation for himself.He started for the Dodgers on Opening Day to replace an injured Clayton Kershaw, and in his four starts this season has not allowed more than two runs in any game."The stuff speaks for itself," Kershaw said. "The stuff is right up there with the best in the game, and once he starts honing it in a little bit ... he's going to be good. He's going to be good for sure." May is coming off his only loss of the season, last Monday against the San Diego Padres, but he gave up only two runs on five hits and two walks in six innings.--Field Level Media
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