Andy Pages and Shohei Ohtani each hit two-run home runs in a nine-run first inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers stayed perfect against the visiting Los Angeles Angels this season with an easy 9-2 victory on Saturday.

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Ryan Ward added a two-run double in the opening inning while a single from Alex Freeland and a throwing error from Angels shortstop Zach Neto cleared the bases. The Dodgers had their highest scoring inning since a nine-run frame in July 2021 against the Washington Nationals.

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4) retired the last 22 batters he faced and gave up one run on two hits over eight innings as the Dodgers improved to 5-0 against the Angels and are 18-5 overall since May 13.

Oswald Peraza had an RBI triple and Neto hit a home run for the Angels, while right-handed starter Jack Kochanowicz (2-5) gave up seven runs (six earned) while recording one out.

The Angels were 6-0 against the Dodgers last season but are now in danger of losing all six this season with the finale of the season series Sunday.

The Angels had the early lead when Peraza delivered a run-scoring triple off the glove of Pages in deep center field.

Ohtani singled to open the bottom of the first inning for the Dodgers and Pages followed with a home run, his 14th of the season. Ward hit his two-run double before Alex Call struck out for the first out as the No. 7 hitter.

Freeland hit a bases-loaded ground ball that Neto fielded then threw into right field on a force-out attempt at second base, allowing all three baserunners to score. Ohtani capped the nine-run frame with a two-run home run, his 11th.

Kochanowicz gave up six hits with a walk in his one-third of an inning, while throwing 38 pitches to eight batters.

Neto ended a run of 23 consecutive Angels batters retired with a home run, his 11th, in the ninth against Jack Dreyer.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith was a late scratch because of neck stiffness but is lined up to start Sunday.

Freddy Fermin’s 1st ‘26 homer helps Padres beat Mets, snap 6-game skid

Freddy Fermin delivered a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday night and the San Diego Padres snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 decision over the visiting New York Mets.

With Sung-Mun Song on first after legging out a two-out infield hit, Fermin jumped on a first-pitch sinker from Austin Warren (1-2). The liner into the left field seats traveled 366 feet for Fermin’s first homer of the year.

It made a winner of Bradgley Rodriguez (1-2) even though he allowed the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh on Marcus Semien’s home run. Jason Adam worked around a pair of hits in the eighth and Mason Miller pitched around a two-out walk to A.J. Ewing in the ninth for his 18th save in as many chances.

Both starters didn’t factor into the decision despite good outings. San Diego’s Griffin Canning allowed three hits and a run in five innings with two walks and six strikeouts, while New York’s Nolan McLean gave up three hits and a run over six innings. McLean walked three and fanned five.

Semien put McLean in line for his fourth win when he drilled a leadoff homer to start the Mets’ half of the seventh. Ambushing a first-pitch sinker, Semien launched it 394 feet to left-center for his seventh homer.

New York initiated the scoring in the second inning. Semien coaxed a one-out walk and reached second on a single by Ewing. Brett Baty brought Semien home with a two-out single up the middle.

The Padres tied it in the third with a little bit of help from second base. Song led off with a walk and stole second. One out later, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a grounder that struck the right corner of second and caromed into right field for an RBI single.

The Mets put the potential go-ahead runs aboard in the eighth on one-out singles by Carson Benge and Bo Bichette. But Juan Soto lined out to Song at second base, who doubled off Benge to quash the threat.

Crow-Armstrong homers twice in Cubs’ walk-off win over Giants

Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, Michael Busch led off the 10th with a walk-off single that was misplayed in right field and the Chicago Cubs avenged an 18-3 shellacking a day earlier with a 3-2 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon.

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After both teams scored in the ninth, capped by Crow-Armstrong’s second solo homer of the day, Cubs reliever Ryan Rolison (5-1) stranded the Giants’ automatic runner at second base in the top of the 10th by striking out both Victor Bericoto and Rafael Devers and getting Luis Arraez out on a grounder, setting up Busch’s heroics.

The game-winning hit, a hard grounder through the right side of the infield, scored automatic runner Dansby Swanson, who coasted home when Bericoto, the Giants’ right fielder, overran the hit in his haste to make a throw to the plate. He was charged with an error.

Sam Hentges (1-1), who faced just one batter, took the loss.

The Giants had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Matt Chapman, scoring Jung Hoo Lee. Crow-Armstrong then belted his 11th homer of the season — a game-saving, two-out shot off Keaton Winn in the bottom of the inning.

After solo home runs by Devers and Crow-Armstrong in the sixth inning offset each other in the game’s only scoring for eight innings, neither starting pitcher was rewarded for an outstanding effort.

The Cubs’ Ben Brown was pulled after 5 1/3 scoreless innings, having limited the Giants to one hit. He walked one and struck out five.

Four pitches later, Devers smacked his eighth home run off Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar for the game’s first run.

Giants starter Landen Roupp took the 1-0 into the last of the sixth, but it lasted just three pitches. That’s when Crow-Armstrong tied the game with the first of his two homers.

Roupp was replaced three batters later, having allowed just the one run and three hits. He walked three and struck out five over 5 2/3 innings.

Crow-Armstrong added two singles to his two homers on a 4-for-5 day for the Cubs, who had lost four of their previous five games. Busch’s game-ending hit was his second of the contest.

Lee had two singles for the Giants, who scored 16 fewer runs and had 14 fewer hits than in their 19-hit, 18-3 win in the series opener.

Yordan Alvarez’s slam powers Astros to big win over A’s

Yordan Alvarez clubbed his fifth career grand slam as the Houston Astros pounded the visiting Athletics 13-2 on Saturday to win the three-game series between American League West rivals.

The Astros socked three home runs off Athletics right-hander Kade Morris (0-1), who endured a forgettable major league debut. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Jose Altuve also hit homers off Morris.

Isaac Paredes’ sacrifice fly scored Alvarez and gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. When Alvarez came to the plate in the second, the bases were full with one out.

Wade, playing his second game with the Astros after signing with Houston on Thursday, led off the second with his first home run of the season, an opposite-field shot to left field that doubled the Astros’ lead. Morris recorded a called third strike against Jake Meyers two batters later, but he sandwiched walks to Taylor Trammell and Jeremy Pena around a Christian Vazquez single.

Alvarez followed the Pena walk by yanking a 1-0 changeup from Morris 369 feet out to right, his 22nd home run extending the lead to 6-0. Alvarez finished 1-for-3 with a walk and four RBIs, and he leads the AL in two of the three Triple Crown categories: homers and RBIs (48). His .316 batting average is second to Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz (.326).

Altuve led off the third with his fifth home run, and the Astros chased Morris with a six-run fifth. Wade delivered a two-run double off Athletics reliever Jose Suarez that plated Christian Walker and Paredes. Meyers and Vazquez added run-scoring hits, and Pena posted a two-run double. Morris allowed nine runs on nine hits and three walks with four strikeouts over four-plus innings.

All nine starters recorded at least one hit for the Astros. Wade finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Walker, Paredes and Vazquez recorded two hits apiece.

Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (3-3) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over five innings. He surrendered an RBI single to Tyler Soderstrom that scored Nick Kurtz and walked Zack Gelof with the bases loaded as part of the Athletics’ two-run third.

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