Angels hope to build momentum with their first 3-game sweep of Dodgers since 2010

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If the Los Angeles Angels turn around their season, an improbable sweep of the Dodgers could be viewed as the turning point.

The last-place Angels beat the defending World Series champions 6-4 on Sunday, rebounding from a late-inning bullpen stumble when Travis d’Arnaud hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth.

“It’s tremendous,” said d’Arnaud, who also hit an RBI single in the third. “Every game here has felt like a playoff atmosphere. Everybody was passing the baton, having good at-bats up and down the lineup.

“It was just a dogfight every single game, high stress, and we prevailed in all three games. It’s really special against last year’s world champions. It’s very good for our confidence moving forward, knowing we can beat anybody.”

The Angels (20-25) remain last in the AL West, six games behind first-place Seattle. Their first three-game sweep of the Dodgers (29-18) since 2010 gave them at least a glimmer of hope that they can rebound into contention. The Dodgers had not been swept in a series since last July in Philadelphia.

The Angels bludgeoned Dodgers pitching in the first two games, batting .307 (23 for 75) with 17 runs, four homers and eight doubles. Zach Neto's solo homer and Taylor Ward's two-run shot off Tony Gonsolin staked left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to a 3-0, first-inning lead on Sunday.

Kikuchi pitched well enough to win, giving up one run and three hits, striking out seven and walking four in 5 2/3 innings before hurting his right ankle in a first-base collision with Tommy Edman.

Kikuchi departed with a 4-1 lead but had to settle for another no-decision after Shaun Anderson gave up a three-run homer to Will Smith that tied the score 4-4 in the seventh. Kikuchi is 0-4 despite a 3.50 ERA in 10 starts.

On an afternoon when Angels setup man Ryan Zeferjahn and closer Kenley Jansen were unavailable after pitching in each of the previous two games, Anderson assumed the role of both setup man and closer.

The 30-year-old right-hander, who has played for 10 different organizations since being drafted in 2016, retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth innings, closing the game with a strikeout of 2024 National League MVP Shohei Ohtani.

“He really saved us,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “When he came in (after the seventh inning), I told him this game was his. And he went out there and did a good job and ended up getting Ohtani for the last out of the game.
We needed him to do exactly what he did — give us that length — and he did it.”

Anderson (1-0) was credited with a blown save and a win for bullpen that entered Sunday with a major league-worst 7.04 ERA.

“To come in here and sweep them, it kind of shows what the Angels have, you know?” Anderson said. “It’s kind of hard to see with our record, but these guys put in the work every day, the preparation, the postgame work, getting to the yard early and hitting. … These guys want to win, and you can totally see it when you walk into the clubhouse. To see us rally and win the last three games, it just shows what we can do here.”

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Travis d'Arnaud, left, and starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi congratulate each other after the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Angels' Travis d'Arnaud, right, is congratulated by third base coach Bo Porter after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani holds his elbow guard in his mouth after hitting a single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Angels' Travis d'Arnaud gestures after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street closed higher and reached more records Wednesday on a holiday-shortened trading day.

The S&P 500 index rose 22.26 points, or 0.3%, to 6,932.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 288.75, or 0.6%, to close at 48,731.16, and the Nasdaq composite added 51.46, or 0.2%, to 23,613.31

Trading was extremely light as markets closed early for Christmas Eve and will be closed for Christmas Thursday. Roughly 1.8 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, which is roughly a third of the average trading day.

Markets will reopen for a full day of trading on Friday; however volumes are expected to remain light this week with most investors having closed out their positions for the year.

The S&P 500 is up more than 17% this year, as investors have embraced the deregulatory policies of the Trump administration and been optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence in helping boost profits for not only technology companies but also for Corporate America. Some of the strongest performers this year include Nvidia and Micron Technologies, both companies that make chips or other components that power the proliferation of data centers across the country.

Much of the focus for investors for the next few weeks will be on where the U.S. economy is heading and where the Federal Reserve will move interest rates. Investors are betting the Fed will hold steady on interest rates at its January meeting.

The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, driven by consumers who continue to spend in the face of ongoing inflation. There have also been recent reports showing shaky confidence among consumers worried about high prices. The labor market has been slowing and retail sales have weakened.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week and remain at historically healthy levels despite some signs that the labor market is weakening.

U.S. applications for jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 20 fell by 10,000 to 214,000 from the previous week’s 224,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. That’s below the 232,000 new applications forecast of analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.

Dynavax Technologies soared 38.2% after Sanofi said it was acquiring the California-based vaccine maker in a deal worth $2.2 billion. The French drugmaker will add Dynavax’s hepatitis B vaccines to its portfolio, as well as a shingles vaccine that is still in development.

Novo Nordisk's shares rose 1.8% after the weight-loss drug company got approval from U.S. regulators for a pill version of its blockbuster drug Wegovy. However, Novo Nordisk shares are still down almost 40% this year as the company has faced increased competition for weight-loss medications, particularly from Eli Lilly. Shares of Eli Lilly are up 40% this year.

European markets moved between slight gains and losses. Asian markets were also quiet, with Hong Kong moving up 0.2% while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.1%

Gold prices were flat at $4,502 an ounce, and silver rose 0.8% to $71.69. U.S. crude oil was flat at $58.38 a barrel.

Derek Orth works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Anthony Matesic works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

FILE - A screen displays financial news as traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

A person walks in front of a chart showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)