Dodgers Drop Thriller to Angels
The Los Angeles Dodgers faced off against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Saturday night, looking to even out the series following a 6-2 loss the previous night. In a game that saw the return of Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers fell short in a thriller. The Angels started Tyler Anderson, as the Dodgers came into the game having previous success against the southpaw. Kershaw struggled in his first start as his 18th season got underway, going just four innings, allowing five hits, five runs and striking out just two batters.
Things were off to a great start as Kershaw struck out the first batter he faced. After that, it was a struggle, with Kershaw allowing a single and two walks to load up the bases. Up came Logan O’Hoppe, who has been one of the main catalysts for the Angels 29th ranked offense, but had been struggling lately, going two for his last 27. That was all wiped away as O’Hoppe rocketed a two-run single to give the Halos an early lead.
Matthew Lugo laced an RBI double to cap off the three-run first inning for the Angels. The rookie has been impressive with five extra base hits and five RBIs in his first eight major league games. The inning eventually ended with Kershaw throwing a hefty 38 pitches. Before the Angels could even blink, the game was tied off an Andy Pages three-run shot in the bottom half of the inning.
The Angels made the most of their opportunities, taking a 5-3 lead at one point. The Dodgers offense was reeling and needed a spark after the explosive first inning. Kiké Hernández provided that in the fourth with his seventh home run of the year. After a couple of lackluster innings from the offense, the bottom of the order got the job done for the Dodgers in the sixth inning.
Héctor Neris came in for relief as Anderson’s day was done and the Dodgers took full advantage of the move. After the first two reached on walks, rookie Dalton Rushing had his first marquee moment as a Dodger, knocking in a runner off a double to tie up the ball game once again. The Dodgers scored two more runs in the inning off a wild pitch and a double play that scored a run. Although the Dodgers grabbed the lead, this one was far from over.
Ben Casparius began his third inning of work in brutal fashion, allowing back-to-back doubles as the Angels pulled within one. His day was done after striking out Taylor Ward, in came Kirby Yates for relief. Safe to say it was not Yates’ night. Once O’Hoppe stepped up to the plate, he came up huge again for the Halos, mashing a three-run home run of his own, giving the team a 9-7 lead. Yates would be pulled out of the game due to injury after struggling to close the inning. The Halos scored one more run to cap off a five-run.
