Dodgers winning streak ends when Angels rally late to avoid sweep

There was a time when opponents wouldn’t even think about pitching to Albert Pujols with one, let alone two, bases open and the game on the line, but the Dodgers didn’t flinch Wednesday night when the Angels slugger stepped to the plate in the eighth inning with a runner on third, one out and the score tied.

And how could you blame them? Pujols is clearly not the terror he was in St. Louis from 2001 to ‘11, when he won three most-valuable-player awards and led the Cardinals to two World Series titles. He has 35 homers and 85 runs batted in this season but is hitting .248 overall and .228 with runners in scoring position.

So after Kole Calhoun led off the eighth with a double to right field and took third on Andre Ethier’s bobble, and Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez struck out Mike Trout with a 98-mph fastball, Manager Don Mattingly instructed Baez to pitch to Pujols.

“We didn’t like the guy behind him,” Mattingly said, referring to Angels cleanup man David Murphy. “He was going to put it in play somewhere.”

Pujols, no stranger to pressure situations, did what he has done so often before, if not so much this season, stroking a ground-ball single to center for the go-ahead run in an eventual 3-2 victory that pulled the Angels to within 31/2 games of Texas for the second American League-wild card spot. According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was the 45th career go-ahead hit in the eighth inning or later for Pujols, the most in the major leagues since he debuted in 2001.

“I think I have enough experience to calm myself and just try to get a good pitch to hit,” Pujols said. “Let the pitcher provide the power, especially a guy throwing 100 mph with a 98-mph slider.”

Closer Huston Street retired the side in order in the ninth for his 33rd save, as the Angels snapped the Dodgers’ five-game win streak and ended an eight-game losing streak to the Dodgers dating to last season. More important for the Angels, they gained ground in the playoff race with only 23 games left.

“There is no tomorrow,” Pujols said. “That’s how we have to look at this whole month.”

The Angels seemed to play with more of an edge Wednesday night, but that probably had something to do with their best pitcher, Garrett Richards, being on the mound.

Richards gave up two runs and four hits and matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts, most with a nasty slider that either broke in the dirt — like the one that bounced two feet in front of the plate to whiff Joc Pederson in the second — or from the top of the strike zone to the knees of batters.

The game did not start well for Richards, though. Most of the late-arriving crowd on a steamy, 93-degree evening didn’t even have their shirts stuck to the back of their seats by time the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead. Scott Schebler crushed Richards’ first pitch, a 96-mph fastball, over the center-field wall, the 16th homer Richards has allowed after giving up five last season.

“What are you gonna do, right?” Richards said. “I’m trying to get ahead early. Just move on, I guess. You’ve got 99 other pitches to throw. It was a quick reset button.”

The homer seemed to irritate rather than rattle Richards, who took out his frustrations on the Dodgers by limiting them to one hit over the next six innings.

The Angels tied the score, 1-1, on doubles by Erick Aybar and David Freese off starter Joe Wieland in the second and took a 2-1 lead in the third when Taylor Featherston hit a leadoff triple to left and scored on Calhoun’s sacrifice fly.

But Pederson doubled to left to open the top of the eighth and took third on Austin Barnes’ bunt. Schebler swung through a 96-mph fastball for strike two and an 81-mph curve for strike three. One strike away from escaping the jam, Richards gave up an RBI double to Chase Utley on a 1-and-2 breaking ball for a 2-2 tie.

Up next

The Angels and Dodgers are off on Thursday. Angels right-hander Jered Weaver (6-10, 4.78 earned-run average) will oppose Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel (17-6, 2.29) at Angel Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m. TV: FS West; Radio: 830, 1330.

Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood (10-9, 3.51) will oppose Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray (3-11, 3.72) at Chase Field on Friday at 6:30 p.m. TV: SportsNet LA; Radio: 570, 1020.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna

retired the side in order in the top of the ninth for his 33rd save, and the Angels (70-69) pulled to within 31/2 games of Texas for the second AL wild-card spot with 23 games left.

replaced Richards and struck out Adrian Gonzalez to end the inning.