The Los Angeles Dodgers were quiet for most of the night but rallied late and behind a Drew Avans grand slam earned a 6-4 comeback win against the Oakland Athletics.
Billy McKinney helped get the A’s going against his former team by opening the game with a leadoff single. Stephen Vogt followed with a base hit of his own to put runners at the corners, Ramón Laureano’s sacrifice fly gave Oakland an early lead.
Gonsolin stranded a Sheldon Neuse leadoff double in the second inning but ran into more trouble in the third as three consecutive singles loaded the bases with one out. The Dodgers turned to Justin Bruihl at that point, only for it to produce a hit batter, sacrifice fly, walk and RBI infield single before he could get through the inning.
The Dodgers trailed 4-0 at that point, with all of the runs charged to Gonsolin. The outing was a drastic difference from his three perfect innings against the Colorado Rockies last week.
Gonsolin hopes to stretch out to 75 pitches in his final tuneup before likely being part of the Dodgers’ Opening Day starting rotation.
A’s starter Sean Manaea held the Dodgers to just two hits — singles by Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman — as he pitched into the sixth inning. Manaea’s night came to an end after walking Leonel Valera and led to being charged for two runs as Edwin Rios followed with his second homer in as many days.
Rios not only prevented the Dodgers from being shut out, but he now leads the team with three home runs in Spring Training and sparked a comeback.
After some good fortune on a high chopper that went for an infield single, the rally was punctuated by Minor Leaguer Drew Avans delivering a go-ahead grand slam.
Tyler Anderson and Daniel Hudson combined to finish out the 6-4 win for the Dodgers. Anderson went four innings in his second appearance, both of which have come out of the bullpen. Hudson stranded a walk and base hit in the ninth inning.
Drew Avans’ career with Dodgers
The Dodgers selected Avans in the 33rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He spent last season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, batting .275/.388/.438 with 15 doubles, five home runs and 32 RBI over 90 games.
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