Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones sharply criticized the current interleague format that requires the Braves to play the powerful Boston Red Sox six times this season, while other National League East teams play lesser American League clubs.
"I don't think there's any question it's not fair," Jones said last week, "but I don't think Major League Baseball is concerned with fair."
Mike Scioscia didn't wince at those comments, but the Angels manager didn't have much stomach for them either.
"If you have to play good teams," Scioscia said, "just play better baseball."
A simple approach, but it served the Angels well. Instead of whining about playing the NL West-leading Dodgers six times, the Angels went out and spanked them in the Freeway Series, completing a convincing three-game sweep with Sunday's 4-1 victory in Angel Stadium.
Kelvim Escobar (5-2) threw eight shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out five, to increase his consecutive scoreless innings streak at home to 21 and help the Angels to their fifth victory in a row and 10th win in 12 games.
The Angels, who lead the AL West by four games, outpitched, outhit, out-defended, outran and out-executed the Dodgers from Friday night through Sunday, outscoring them, 19-4, in the series.
"If we can take this kind of game consistently onto the field, I'm confident we can win everywhere," Scioscia said. "For the last three weeks, we've seen some things jelling. It's a fun team to watch when we're doing some of the things we're capable of, like hitting with runners in scoring position and running the bases aggressively."
Fun, that is, unless you're the opposing pitcher. Right-hander Derek Lowe threw his second complete game in three starts and still lost, giving up four runs -- three earned -- and nine hits in eight innings, striking out six and walking none.
On consecutive run-scoring, two-out, ground-ball singles up the middle by Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Matthews Jr., in the fifth inning, Lowe wound up practically face-first on the mound, unable to smother the hits.
Also included in the Angels' three-run fifth inning was Jose Molina's hit-and-run single through the vacated second-base hole, the second consecutive game in which the Angels executed that play perfectly.
