The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their Cactus League matchup against the Athletics on Sunday, 7-5, despite a late rally with a chance to tie the game.
Blake Snell was on the mound for his final tune-up start before the Dodgers head to Japan. He had the swing-and-miss stuff working, but he also struggled keeping runs off the board.
Former Dodgers farmhand Drew Avans started the scoring with a solo home run against Snell in the second inning. The A’s came back with a big third inning, scoring three more runs.
Snell allowed a leadoff single, a one-out walk and then a two-run double to Gio Urshela. Luis Urías then singled home Urshela to give the A’s a four-run lead.
Snell went back out for the fourth inning, but exited after recording two outs. He finished his day with 3.2 innings pitched, allowing four runs on five hits with five strikeouts to one walk.
Giovanny Gallegos entered in the fifth and allowed two more runs, this time via a two-run homer off the bat of Urías. The Athletics scored their seventh run in the seventh inning against Blake Treinen, who allowed a walk, made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, and gave up an RBI single.
The Dodgers offense was started by James Outman, who blasted a three-run homer in the fourth inning after Kiké Hernández doubled and Austin Barnes was hit by a pitch. Outman has been struggling at the plate in spring, so it was an encouraging sight to see him knock a ball out of the park.
L.A. put together a rally in the seventh inning while trailing 7-3, putting the tying runs in scoring position, but they ultimately fell short.
David Bote started them off with a walk, Chris Taylor singled, Dalton Rushing worked a walk and Hyeseong Kim cashed them in with a two-run single that made it a 7-5 game.
But with the tying runs in scoring position, Michael Chavis popped out to end the inning.
Dodgers remaining Cactus League games
The Dodgers now have just two Cactus League games remaining, which both come over the next two days, before they head to Japan for the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs.
On Monday, the Dodgers face the Arizona Diamondbacks, where Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his final tune-up start before Opening Day. They wrap up Cactus League play on Tuesday with Roki Sasaki starting against the Cleveland Guardians in what will be his first Cactus League start.
Both games are scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. PT at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.
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