Dodgers swept by Angels for Second Year in a Row

LOS ANGELES, California--The Angels beat the Dodgers 6-4 Sunday at Dodger Stadium, completing their second consecutive three-game sweep of the Freeway Series. Los Angeles finished spring training 13-15 with three ties. Home runs by outfielder Jason Repko and first baseman Hee-Seop Choi gave the Dodgers a brief lead for the third consecutive game in the series but a late rally again erased that.

Dodgers starter Scott Erickson allowed only a single run and five hits in six innings. In his first injury-free season since 2002, he came to spring training as a non-roster free agent and won a starting job. He allowed a single run in the fifth inning when Macier Izturis, Cesar's brother, slugged an RBI triple. Erickson, 37, concluded an impressive spring in which he earned a rotation spot with a 2.00 ERA over eight starts. He will make his official Dodgers debut next Saturday at Arizona. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead when Repko (#3) and Choi (#4) hit back-to-back home runs off Angels starter Paul Byrd The Angels used a four-run seventh off Elmer Dessens to take a 5-2 lead and coast in with the series sweep. The Dodgers cut the deficit to 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh on a walk by Norihiro Nakamura and a double by Jason Grabowski before a homer added Anaheim's sixth run. An RBI single by Grabowski in the ninth following a single by Mike Edwards and a walk to Mike Rose closed the scoring. Dodger Blue Notes--The 2004 National League West champion Dodgers are hoping to break a string of five straight opening day losses to the Giants in their opener Tuesday. The last win came on a 4-3 victory for Jerry Reuss at Dodger Stadium. ...