Noah Syndergaard was knocked around by the top half of the Los Angeles Angels lineup and the Los Angeles Dodgers were unable to overcome an early deficit. Their 5-4 loss at Angel Stadium set the stage for a Freeway Series rubber match on Wednesday nigh to conclude Spring Training.
Syndergaard was coming off somewhat of a rough showing at Camelback Ranch his last time out, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplayed any concern.
“I think it’s been a good spring for him,” Roberts said before first pitch in Anaheim. “That last outing was certainly forgettable, but I think for us, looking to ramp up the intensity and kind of tie up a couple things.
“Have a good quality start, come out of it feeling good and ready to make his first one in the season. Seeing Tyler (Anderson) and Noah go against each other’s former team is sort of fun.”
Syndergaard’s night did not begin on a positive note as he gave up a leadoff single in the first inning followed by a home run to Mike Trout.
Syndergaard retired the side in order the next inning but Taylor Ward collected his second hit against the right-hander with a leadoff home run in the third.
Singles by Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon set the table for Brandon Drury to later add onto the Angels’ lead with a two-out RBI base hit.
Syndergaard pitched into the sixth inning but was removed after allowing a leadoff single to Drury. He wound up coming around to score when Yency Almonte — who was the second Dodgers relief pitcher to enter the game in the sixth — walked Ward with the bases loaded.
Despite being charged for five runs and giving up nine hits, including two homers, Syndergaard was generally pleased with his outing and considered it another step forward heading into the regular season.
Syndergaard’s fastball velocity sat around 94 mph, and after the outing he said throwing 100 mph was not a goal of his. “I’m trying to get outs,” Syndergaard said.
Dodgers home runs with Dino Ebel mic’d up
Third base coach Dino Ebel was mic’d up for the SportsNet LA broadcast, and it proved timely as he called multiple home runs on the night.
Mookie Betts got the Dodgers on the board with a solo home run in the fourth inning, and Miguel Rojas followed suit in the fifth.
Those were the only runs Tyler Anderson allowed, as he finished with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched.
The Dodgers continued to slug against the Angels bullpen, beginning with Chris Taylor connecting for a solo homer in the seventh inning. Luke Williams then hit a leadoff home run in the eighth, but the Dodgers never drew any closer.
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