The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the annual Freeway Series matchups last year for the first time since Interleague play began in 1997, and already won’t get to potentially repeat that feat as they suffered a 9-2 loss to the L.A. Angels, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
The Dodgers continued to be plagued by missed opportunities with runners on base. A chance to take an early lead was erased when Corey Seager was caught sleeping and picked off second base to end the first inning.
L.A. did take advantage of again putting two on, as Matt Beaty’s RBI groundout gave them a 1-0 lead in the second inning. That was short-lived, however, as Julio Urias labored through his start.
Solo home runs by Justin Upton and Taylor Ward in the bottom half of the second gave the Angels a lead, and David Fletcher’s two-run single extended it. Shohei Ohtani added more to that with an opposite-field drive that carried over AJ Pollock’s head for an RBI double in the fifth.
Coming off an impressive outing, Urias only managed to pitch five innings and the five earned runs he allowed set a season high. His four strikeouts were the second-fewest in seven starts this year.
Joe Kelly had good velocity and generally located well, but that didn’t amount to missing many bats or finding success in his 2021 debut. He allowed four runs on five hits and only retired two of seven batters faced in the sixth inning.
One of the hits Kelly allowed was an RBI triple to Mike Trout during which Pollock appeared to injure his left hamstring. He was replaced by Sheldon Neuse, who had just pinch-hit for Matt Beaty in the top half of the inning, which resulted in the Dodgers losing the designated hitter.
That made little impact on the result as L.A. failed to generate any sort of rally. On a personal level, Mookie Betts emerged from his slump with a solo home run in the ninth inning.
Next for Dodgers
After throwing 39 pitches over one inning in the shortest start of his career, Clayton Kershaw takes the mound Saturday on three days’ rest.
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