Yoan Moncada hit a first-inning home run and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz pitched into the seventh inning as the visiting Los Angeles Angels pulled off a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to open a three-game series.

Shohei Ohtani might be the best baseball player on the planet, but for at least one at bat, he was bested by a backup catcher. The catcher, Venezuelan Jhonny Pereda, managed to strikeout the 3-time MVP in the eighth inning of the Dodgers 19-2 win against the Athletics on Thursday night.

Ron Washington is confident "the day will come" when the Angels will be able to end their struggles and compete for World Series titles like the Dodgers.