Keibert Ruiz punctuated his MLB debut with a home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers went on to complete a sweep of the L.A. Angels with an 8-3 win. It marked the first time the Dodgers have ever completed a three-game sweep of a Freeway Series at Angel Stadium.
Before the Dodgers opened a comfortable lead, they struggled to get out of their own way. Chris Taylor reached on a swinging bunt in the second inning, benefitting from Julio Teheran failing to get a grip on with the ball for what should have been a routine play.
But Teheran quickly made up for his error by immediately picking off Taylor. Then with two outs, Edwin Rios doubled off the wall in center field but grabbed at his left hamstring while sliding into second base.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer checked on Rios, who curiously was allowed to remain in the game. That came back to cost the Dodgers — though Matt Beaty bears some responsibility — as he attempted to stretch a single into a double.
Rios was slowly jogging home because of the hamstring issue and he failed to cross home plate before Beaty was thrown out. The baserunning mistakes were further compounded when Max Stassi’s RBI single broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning.
With the exception of solo home runs from Anthony Rendon (fourth inning) and Brian Goodwin (sixth), it was all Dodgers after Stassi gave the Angels a lead. Their comeback began with Ruiz, who turned on an elevated fastball for a leadoff home run down the right-field line.
Julio Urias and Angel Stadium ushers went to retrieve the ball so it could be authenticated and presented to the rookie catcher after the game. Later in the third inning, Max Muncy clobbered a two-run homer to right-center field, giving the Dodgers a slim lead.
They broke the game open in the fourth behind a Mookie Betts RBI single and Corey Seager’s three-run home run. Beaty capped off the Dodgers’ scoring with a solo homer in the sixth inning.
Dustin May falls short for win
With a battery of Dustin May and Ruiz, both of whom are 22 years old, it marked the Dodgers’ youngest starting pitcher-catcher combo since Dioner Navarro (21) caught Edwin Jackson (21) on Aug. 22, 2005.
May held the Angels to just the two runs but only logged 4.1 innings and therefore didn’t qualify for the win. He certainly might have pitched the requisite five innings if it wasn’t for Muncy’s blunder on a likely inning-ending double play in the fourth.
Rather than Muncy throwing to second base for the start of it, he threw over to first for the second out. May wound up throwing an additional eight pitches before he could get out of the fourth inning.
Muncy did avoid repeating the mistake as he helped Scott Alexander get out of some trouble in the sixth by starting an inning-ending double play.
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