Dodgers Face Tough Loss to Angels After Pitching Struggles

On Sunday, Emmett Sheehan’s inability to pitch a complete game in just the second inning led to a challenging situation for the Dodgers. They ended up using six relief pitchers, ultimately resulting in a 13-5 defeat against the Angels.

What a rough surprise that was!

This was actually the briefest outing of Sheehan’s career, aside from one game last season where he served as an opener. He struggled against what many consider the worst team in baseball history, lasting only one-third of an inning.

His subpar performance came on the heels of impressive outings from teammates Aki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the series’ earlier games.

Just on Friday, Sasaki threw seven scoreless innings. Then, on Saturday, Yamamoto allowed just one run over eight innings. So, expectations were definitely high going into Sheehan’s start.

Things took a turn during the second inning. After recording one out, Sheehan allowed a single to Joe Adell and then walked Nick Madrigal and Jose Siri. The situation escalated when Sebastian Rivero hit a two-run homer, leading Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to pull Sheehan after he threw 36 pitches in one inning—15 of which were just to Madrigal.

Blake Treinen then let in two runs in the fourth inning, while Alex Bashear gave up another two in the fifth, putting the Dodgers down 6-1.

But, in a bit of a redemption moment in the sixth inning, Dalton Rushing and Ryan Ward hit consecutive home runs, narrowing the gap to 6-5. It gave the Dodgers a flicker of hope, at least for a moment.

Unfortunately, things fell apart again quickly. In the next inning, Jonathan Hernandez had a rough go, surrendering six runs on five hits, including home runs by Adell and Zach Neto.

What It Means

Despite this setback, the Dodgers have been strong lately, winning six of their last seven series and achieving a record of 16-6 during that stretch. They’ve gained ground significantly since May 13, when they were a half-game behind the Padres, and now they have a solid lead over both the Padres and Diamondbacks in the NL West.

Who Is Hot

Dalton Rushing was a standout performer, matching his career record with four hits in four at-bats, which included a three-run home run and a double. Over the last four games, he’s had seven hits in 14 at-bats.

Freddie Freeman also continued to be reliable. In three games against the Angels, he went 5-for-10 and contributed by advancing Shohei Ohtani to third base in the third inning, setting up the Dodgers’ first run. Freeman has been consistent lately, hitting .362 in his last 12 games.

Who Is Not?

Will Smith’s anticipated return was delayed as he missed the game due to a stiff shoulder, leaving Rushing in as catcher for another game.

To the Next

The Dodgers will have a day off on Monday before facing the Pirates on Tuesday. Left-hander Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.74 ERA) will be making his third start against Pirates pitcher Paul Skeens (6-5, 3.09 ERA).