Dodgers thriving during Interleague Play this year

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have beaten any and nearly all opponents over the past two months, clinching their first winning record against the American League in nine years in the process.

Since June 22, Los Angeles leads the Majors with a 46-10 record. Almost as impressive, the Dodgers are 12-6 during Interleague Play this season entering Saturday's matchup against the Red Sox, including a 10-4 mark against one of the toughest divisions in baseball in the AL East.

The Dodgers swept both the Rays and Blue Jays, split four games with the Yankees, lost two of three to the Orioles in April and shut out the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series Friday, 2-0.

"When you get a chance to play these guys, it's fun playing them," said manager Don Mattingly. "I think it's good teams, and you know when you get Tampa [Bay] and Boston, you get teams that play these games every night. They kind of beat each other up all the time. They know they're going to have to win all the time. They're just hardened to it. I think it's just good baseball."

The Dodgers also split four games against the Angels in May. The last time Los Angeles was 12-6 against the AL was 2002, and its last winning record in Interleague Play was 10-8 in 2004. The Dodgers were 6-9 during Interleague Play last season, and entered 2013 with a .453 win percentage against the AL since 1997, tied for the fourth lowest among National League clubs.