LOS ANGELES — In a tough 6–4 loss to the Angels on Sunday, the Dodgers found themselves swept in the two-game weekend set at Dodger Stadium—despite a dramatic game-tying home run from catcher Will Smith in the late innings.
For Smith, who’s quietly putting together another productive season behind the plate, the big swing was personal. “Yeah. I feel really good. Seeing the ball well,” he said postgame. “The work I put in the offseason’s paying off—some changes and stuff. So yeah, just trying to keep it going.”
His home run breathed life into the Dodgers’ dugout, momentarily flipping the momentum after a frustrating start to the afternoon. But in a familiar story for the team lately, the bullpen couldn’t hold the line. A misplaced pitch from Anthony Banda to Travis d’Arnaud ended up deep in the seats, and the Angels retook the lead in the eighth.
“Just a poor executed pitch,” Smith said of the costly moment. “It was supposed to be down and away, he pulled it up and in, and d’Arnaud capitalized on it.”
It was a bitter ending to a game that felt winnable, and the Dodgers’ struggles continue to mount—especially with the pitching staff. Tony Gonsolin, making his return from injury, got tagged early and didn’t look sharp.
“Yeah, just a slow start for him,” Smith said. “First inning they jumped on him. He wasn’t really commanding the ball. Left two heaters up. They got to us early.”
Gonsolin managed to battle through four innings, but with the bullpen taxed and rotation depth stretched thin, the Dodgers are clearly feeling the weight of a long season.
“Yeah. Obviously, guys are getting hurt,” Smith admitted. “That’s part of a long year. We’re on a 20- or 21-day stretch right now, so yeah, maybe a little bit of tired, a little bit of fatigue. But it’s impressive still seeing these guys go out and compete every night. Everyone’s still giving it their best.”
Unfortunately, the best wasn’t enough on Sunday.
The loss marks the Dodgers’ third in a row and ends a forgettable series where they never seemed to find their rhythm. They had opportunities—Smith’s homer among the most electrifying—but the pitching miscues and lack of timely hitting proved costly.
Still, Smith’s continued offensive production is one of the silver linings. He’s been a stabilizing force in the middle of the order, and his improved mechanics and offseason adjustments appear to be yielding results.
For now, though, the Dodgers will look to regroup and rest on Monday before heading back into another tough stretch. With injuries piling up and the bullpen under strain, they’ll need more than individual heroics to pull them out of the rut.
“We’ll keep grinding,” Smith said. “That’s all we can do.”
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