Johnny Giavotella led off the bottom of the fourth with a double on a sinking line drive that Yasiel Puig was unable to make a diving catch on. Puig was shaken up on the play and checked on by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and assistant athletic trainer Nate Lucero before remaining in the game.
A sacrifice bunt advanced Giavotella to third base, where he was stranded as Carlos Perez popped out and Brendan Ryan fouled out. Carl Crawford slapped a single to left field to keep the fifth inning alive.
Utley caught a bad break on a ground-rule double to right field that forced Crawford to stop at second base. Tropeano worked his way out of the small jam by getting Turner to line out to right field.
Bolsinger allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth and was removed after issuing a one-out walk. Louis Coleman took over, only to be beset by one bleeder after another after walking Pujols to load the bases.
C.J. Cron hit a chopper in the hole at shortstop that Seager managed to get to, but didn’t have a play anywhere. Giavotella then hit a slow dribble to Kendrick, who committed an error, allowing a run to score.
Rafael Ortega followed with a two-run double that got by a diving attempt from Thompson in shallow left field, and a Perez sacrifice fly extended the Angels lead to 6-1 before Coleman could get out of the inning.
Adam Liberatore entered with one out in the bottom of the sixth and promptly gave up a double and base hit only two batters in. Pujols drove an RBI single to right field, and Cron’s sacrifice fly extended the Angels’ lead to 8-1.
A trio of consecutive singles from Yasmani Grandal, Puig and Crawford loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh. Tropeano worked out of the jam by striking out pinch-hitter Kiké Hernandez, and getting Turner to ground into a double play.
The seven innings of work marked the longest start of Tropeano’s young career. The Dodgers failed to overcome their deficit in the final two innings and lost to the Angels, 8-1.
