While the Los Angeles Dodgers managed to earn their first win in Oakland since July 2001, Clayton Kershaw remained winless in his career against the Athletics.
Mike Fiers had a perfect game through four innings, which he lost when Yasmani Grandal led off the fifth inning with a home run. Fiers was removed with one out in the sixth inning, and ultimately didn’t factor into the decision because Los Angeles tied it in the seventh.
However, Grandal dropping a throw from Manny Machado allowed the A’s to take a decided lead in the eighth inning, leading to a series split. Not only that, but the two teams wound up with two wins each in the season series.
That didn’t come as much of a surprise to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who believes the A’s are similar to his team, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“Two similar ballclubs. With the pitching, ability to get on base, make plays defensively. Two teams that mirror one another. I thought we were going to steal one tonight.”
In April, the Dodgers shut out the A’s, 4-0, at Dodger Stadium. But they were soundly defeated the following night, 16-6. Khris Davis, Matt Chapman and Jed Lowrie each collected a home run deep, and the Athletics pounded out 21 hits.
Because of that, the A’s outscored the Dodgers, 21-16, over their four games this season. As Roberts noted, both teams are built on pitching and with strong lineups that present a challenge to opposing staffs.
Los Angeles and Oakland have also been among the better teams in baseball over the past month, which has put them in the thick of postseason contention. While plenty would need to break in their favor, the thought of the Dodgers and A’s meeting 30 years since the 1988 World Series is certainly intriguing.
