The Los Angeles Dodgers saw the return of Mike Bolsinger on Wednesday as the right-hander was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. Bolsinger was immediately throw into the fire, taking the mound to face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the third of the four-game Freeway Series.
Nick Tropeano opened the game with a strikeout of Chase Utley, then quickly retired Justin Turner and Corey Seager to complete a perfect first inning. After issuing a leadoff walk, Bolsinger got Kole Calhoun to ground into a double play.
That wound up limiting the damage as Mike Trout clubbed a solo home run to give the Angels a 1-0 lead before Bolsinger managed to get out of the inning. Bolsinger then worked around a pair of singles and a stolen base in the second inning to keep the Angels’ lead at 1-0.
Tropeano matched his work from the first two innings by retiring the side in order in the third. Trout and Albert Pujols connected for back-to-back singles with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but both were stranded.
Tropeano’s perfect game ended on a one-out walk of Turner in the fourth inning. Corey Seager followed with a double into right field, giving the Dodgers their first threat of the game. After Turner was thrown out at the plate on a Howie Kendrick chopper to third base, Joc Pederson shot an RBI single by a diving Yunel Escobar to tie the game.
CONTINUE READING: Fifth inning spells doom for Dodgers
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.