LOS ANGELES -- The Angels' lineup relied on small ball by Sebastián Rivero and a powerful two-run homer from Jo Adell in the seventh inning to help them beat the Dodgers at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Rivero went 5-5 with 6 RBIs, while Adell went 4-5 with 2 RBIs and 1 home run, in their 13-5 victory.
With this afternoon's victory, the Angels (25-41) avoid being swept in the season series against the Dodgers (42-24) since they last were in 2020.
"I think there's always gotta be, you know, different dynamic. Hitting homers is hard in the Major Leagues, especially against a pitching staff like the Dodgers," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. "I think just having quality at-bats and then getting those homers later in the game was huge."
Rivero was responsible for four of the Angels' first four runs in the second and fourth innings to get them a 4-1 lead.
Three of his five hits this afternoon were bloopers hit to the outfield.
Rivero's final two hits came in the seventh on an RBI single and a double in the ninth inning. He said this afternoon's performance was the first time he's had a 5 hit performance since he was in the minors.
When asked how it felt to hit five in the MLB, Rivero said it felt a lot better than doing it in the minors.
"I'm just glad the team had great teamwork today," Rivero said. "Great at bats, great approaches. There was not a single one of us that didn't take a bad at."
Leading 6-1 through six innings, the Angels primarily relied on small ball to get them the victory as they had three hits come in 0-2 counts.
It wasn't until Jose Soriano nearly blew a 6-1 lead in the sixth by giving up back-to-back homers from Dalton Rushing and Ryan Ward that forced them to reach for power in their bats.
In the seventh inning, the Angels' lineup exploded by scoring 6 runs, then tacking on one more in the ninth.
Adell had his fourth hit of the afternoon on a two-run homer over the left field wall.
Rivero followed by picking up his fifth RBI on a single hit to right, scoring Nick Madrigal and Jose Siri.
Madrigal was a challenge no Dodgers pitcher wanted to deal with.
Throughout the afternoon, he was working long quality at-bats, leaving Dodgers pitchers exhausted on the mound.
In the second, he had a 14 pitch at bat against Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan, a 6-pitch at bat against Blake Treinen in the fourth, and a 12-pitch at bat against Alex Vesia in the fifth.
He saw a total of 37 pitches, and 17 of them were fouled into the bleachers as souvenirs for fans.
"I got good pitches today, I just kept fouling them off," Madrigal said. "So on one hand it was frustrating, though I felt calm in the box. I just gotta thank God for keeping me calm, and just sometimes those moments beat up on you. But I felt like I had a good game plan all day, I felt relaxed."
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Dalton Rushing #68 of the Los Angeles Dodgers tags Nick Madrigal #17 of the Los Angeles Angels during the game at Dodger Stadium on June 7, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
After Madrigal scored, the Angels' offense added more insurance in the seventh when Zach Neto hit a three-run home run to make it 12-5.
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Zach Neto #9 of the Los Angeles Angels hits a home run during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 7, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
"When we get a blast or two going, we're kind of feeling ourselves a little bit," Adell said. "I think everybody just did their part. All the way through, and the momentum was there all the way through the first pitch on."
The Angels added one more run in the ninth to get the game's final score when Rivero hit an RBI double to score Siri.