The Los Angeles Dodgers mounted a late rally but ultimately could only finish with a 4-4 tie against the Texas Rangers in the second game of a Cactus League home-and-home series. The Dodgers were victorious Monday at Surprise Stadium, 9-6.
A common refrain during Spring Training is that results aren’t of the utmost importance, which makes Tuesday’s game an intriguing one for the Dodgers. Their lineup, which included the likes of Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Matt Kemp and Joc Pederson, didn’t come alive until late in the game.
Turner, who’d previously walked in the first inning, led off the fourth with a single, for the Dodgers’ first hit of the afternoon. Seager doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, only to then be doubled up on a tag attempt.
As for matters on the mound, Kenta Maeda fared well in his 2018 debut. Rougned Odor’s walk to open the game was erased when he was caught stealing, and Maeda then proceeded to retire the next five batters faced.
His two innings of work came to end with a strike out of Drew Robinson. In the Dodgers’ sixth game of the spring, Maeda became the first member of the projected Opening Day rotation to pitch more than one inning in his outing.
Brian Schlitter tossed a 1-2-3 third inning, but Yaisel Sierra couldn’t keep the Rangers off the bases or scoreboard in the fourth. Darwin Barney singled with one out, which was followed by a Willie Calhoun walk.
Joey Gallo’s RBI double broke the scoreless tie, and Destin Hood’s base hit extended the Rangers’ lead to 2-0. Odor’s two-out double in the fifth brought in another run, and so did Scott Heineman’s single in the sixth inning.
The Dodgers scratched in the bottom of the seventh on Andrew Toles’ sacrifice fly, bringing in Travis Taijeron who had led off with a double and advanced to third base on a groundout. Omar Estevez’s two-run home run in the eighth then cut the deficit to a single run.
In the ninth inning, Henry Ramos walked with one out, and Matt Beaty lined a two-out single to center that left runners at the corners. Connor Sadzeck’s wild pitch allowed a run to score, giving the Dodgers their first tie of the spring.
