Around the horn: Dodgers offense emerges on the road

Road, sweet road? It has been for the Dodgers offense, which entered the weekend averaging 4.87 runs a game and hitting .246 with a .700 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 30 road games and 3.58 runs a game with a .217 average and .662 OPS in 31 home games.

Adrian Gonzalez has the most drastic splits, with a .387 road average and a .168 home average. “I have no explanation for it,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously, the numbers don’t lie. Where we’re at in the calendar, it’s enough of a sample. … I expect that to even out as we move forward.” …

Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones on Kansas City pitcher Yordano Ventura, who sparked a benches-clearing brawl when, after throwing in on Manny Machado several times, he drilled the Orioles star in the back with a 99-mph fastball Tuesday night: “The guy has electric stuff and the talent is all there, but between the ears, there is a circuit board off balance. I don’t get it.” …

Actor Josh Duhamel will play Bill “Spaceman” Lee in a movie about the eccentric former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher, to be released Aug. 19. “I have always been in favor of drug testing in sports,” Lee’s character says in the movie. “Yeah, I like to test them all.” …

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Royals became the third team in the last half-century to lose six straight games while scoring one or fewer runs in each game last week. … So much for the Lone Star State rivalry in the American League West. Texas has won eight of nine games over Houston this season and 17 of 19 dating to last season.

DODGERS NEXT

at Arizona: Monday, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.

vs. Milwaukee: Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.

Zack Greinke beat the Dodgers last time he faced them, in 2012. Their infield that day: Scott Van Slyke, Jerry Hairston Jr., Dee Gordon, Adam Kennedy.

ANGELS NEXT

vs. Minnesota: Monday, 7 p.m.; Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.

at Oakland: Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.

It’s been 20 years since the A’s and Angels finished in the bottom two spots in the American League West.

MLB SERIES OF THE WEEK

Detroit at Chicago White Sox

Monday through Wednesday

The two older teams trying to keep up with the two young squads – the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals – in the group of American League Central contenders defined as “any team but the Minnesota Twins.” On Monday, James Shields tries to atone for his first White Sox start, when he lasted two innings and gave up seven runs. On Tuesday, the Tigers throw their $110-million free-agent signee, Jordan Zimmermann. His ERA by month: 0.55 in April, 4.88 in May, 7.84 in June.

MLB CHATTER

What they’re saying on Twitter:

“When will Ventura learn that you can earn respect in other ways in the great game of baseball? Someone needs to have a chat with him.”

— LaTroy Hawkins (@LaTroyHawkins32), former major league reliever, on controversial Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, who sparked another benches-clearing brawl by drilling Baltimore’s Manny Machado with a pitch Tuesday.

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“Never understood why a hitter who charges the mound takes off his helmet. I charged in double A and kept it on. Ever punch a helmet? #ouch.”

— Doug Glanville (@dougglanville), former big league outfielder and current ESPN analyst, on Machado’s fight with Ventura.

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“Mike Trout on these Angels is Meryl Streep in a high school acting class. He’s so much better than teammates, being let down by management.”

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1), New York Post baseball columnist, on the Angels star center fielder and his suspect supporting cast during the Yankees’ four-game sweep of the Angels in New York last week.la-sp-mlb-socialmlb social for rail