The Los Angeles Dodgers’ nine-game homestand drew closer to ending on Monday with the start of the Freeway Series. After hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for a pair, the Dodgers will travel south down Interstate 5 for two more games to conclude the Interleague series.
Kenta Maeda retired the Angels in order in the first inning, collecting a strikeout in the process. Matt Shoemaker matched Maeda in the bottom half of the inning, also picking up his first strikeout of the game.
After Maeda tossed a 1-2-3 second inning, Shoemaker started the bottom of the second with back-to-back strikeouts of Adrian Gonzalez and Yasmani Grandal. Joc Pederson and Trayce Thompson drew consecutive two-out walks, which wound up sparking a small rally.
Carl Crawford and Maeda each hit an RBI single to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead before Shoemaker could record the final out. Carlos Perez led off the third inning with a double, and later came around to score on Gregorio Petit’s one-out RBI single.
Yunel Escobar’s base hit put runners on the corners and a Kole Calhoun walk loaded the bases for Mike Trout with one out. To little surprise, that spelled trouble for Maeda as Trout pulled a two-run single into left field.
Albert Pujols tacked on another run with an RBI single, and the Angels took a 4-2 lead to the bottom of the third. Corey Seager led the inning off with a base hit and moved into scoring position on a Shoemaker wild pitch.
Howie Kendrick reached on an error, but was erased at second base on a force out. Yasmani Grandal then grounded into an inning-ending double play.
CONTINUE READING: Pedro Baez struggles, Trayce Thompson hits two home runs
Maeda issued a one-out walk in the fourth inning, but also struck out the side. Trayce Thompson cut the Dodgers’ deficit in half by jumping on Shoemaker’s first pitch for a solo home run. Kiké Hernandez pinch-hit for Maeda and kept the inning alive with a two-out single to center.
However, nothing came of it as Shoemaker got Chase Utley to ground out. Maeda’s four innings of work marked the shortest outing of his eight career starts with the Dodgers. Chris Hatcher took over in the fifth and worked around a Trout double and intentional walk to Pujols to toss a scoreless inning of relief.
Kendrick hit a one-out single in the fifth, only to be stranded by Gonzalez and Grandal. Kendrick moved to first base as Gonzalez was removed due to lower back tightness; Justin Turner took over at third.
Hatcher worked around a Johnny Giavotella leadoff double in the sixth to keep the Dodgers within one run of the Angels. Escobar and Calhoun hit back-to-back singles off Pedro Baez with no outs in the seventh, and Trout drew a walk to load the bases.
Pujols extended the Angels’ lead with a two-run single. Giavotella’s sacrifice fly pushed Anaheim ahead, 7-3, before Baez managed to get out of the inning. Charlie Culberson pinch-hit for Baez in the bottom of the seventh and drew a leadoff walk.
He then went first to third base on Seager’s base hit to right field. Cam Bedrosian replaced Jose Alvarez and traded an out for a run on Kendrick’s sacrifice fly. Turner kept the inning alive with a walk, but Grandal, representing the tying run, struck out on a pitch in the dirt.
Thompson connected for his second home run of the game, with his two-run shot cutting the Angels’ lead to 7-6. Yasiel Puig pinch-hit for Louis Coleman and fouled out. Utley knocked a two-out single to center, but was stranded as Seager grounded out.
The Dodgers didn’t get any further as Fernando Salas converted the save opportunity to get the Angels a win in the Freeway Series opener.