When the team chasing you wins eight of their last 10 games and you lose six of your last 10 games, it doesn’t take rocket science to figure out what’s going to happen.
It happened.
The National League West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers are now the NL West second-place Dodgers and the National League West second-place San Diego Padres are now the NL West first-place Padres, this after the Angels of Anaheim swept the Dodgers with their come-from-behind 6-5 win over Dave Roberts‘ Dodgers at Angels Stadium on Wednesday night.
“This was tough, obviously, because of the result, but, you know, I thought tonight I liked the way we played,” Roberts told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame, once again trying to sugarcoat (ad nauseam) his team’s on-going struggles. “I thought the at-bats were really good … but, you know, tonight in a vacuum, I thought we played well.”
(SportsNet LA)
What? We all know what “…vacuums” do. Sorry, Dave, you got your rear-ends handed to you three games in a row by the AL West fourth-place Angels of Anaheim, and that “…vacuums.”
The crushing blow was going 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position – including three times with less that two outs – while stranding eight runners on base.
(MLB.com)
On the bright side of this otherwise gloomy night, Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a triple into the right field corner as fans were still coming through the turnstiles. He scored one batter later on a RBI single to left field by Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts.
into the right field corner for a leadoff triple. (SportsNet LA)
On the mound, Ohtani finished his eighth start of the season having allowed four runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking none in his 4.1 innings pitched on Wednesday.
Ohtani also hit a triple. Not many pitchers can say that anymore. (Dodger Insider)
Also (very) worthy of note, popular Dodgers catcher Will Smith slugged his 15h home run of the season on Wednesday, a hefty 407-foot shot to left with one out, also in the top of the first inning, giving the Dodgers a very early 3-0 lead.
Smith’s monster two-run home run on Wednesday. (SportsNet LA)
The (now) National League West second-place Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping to snap out of their current offensive “…vacuum” when they open a three-game series against the (now) National League West first-place San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium beginning on Friday evening at 7:10 PM PDT.
Needless to say, this will be the single biggest series of the season thus far, with the top spot in the NL West at stake.
Play Ball!
* * * * * *