Dodgers Recap: A’s attack Knack, pummel Dodgers

CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — The Dodgers came into Tuesday night looking to build momentum at home but were handed a humbling 11–1 loss by the visiting (Sacramento?) Athletics. What started as a tight game unraveled by the middle innings as local product Jacob Wilson’s bat, and a string of two-out rallies, buried L.A. under an avalanche of extra-base hits and missed opportunities.

A Promising Start Fades Fast

Starter Landon Knack looked sharp early, striking out the side in the first and pitching around a double in the second. But in the third inning, he left a fastball over the plate that Wilson didn’t miss. After a Nick Kurtz double, Wilson launched his fourth home run of the season over the left field wall, giving the A’s a 2–0 lead and sparking what would become a night of relentless damage from the A’s.

The Dodgers had a quick answer in the bottom half. Chris Taylor led off with a double, moved to third on a lineout by Ohtani, and scored when Mookie Betts reached on a fielding error. But with the tying run on base, the Dodgers failed to capitalize. Will Smith singled to keep the inning alive, but Freddie Freeman grounded into an inning-ending double play—a sign of things to come.

Wilson Strikes Again, and Then the Floodgates Open

In the fifth, Wilson struck again. After a leadoff single from Luis Urías, Wilson crushed a center-cut pitch to straightaway center for his second homer of the game and fifth of the year. That made it 4–1 A’s, and Knack’s night was over two batters later after giving up back-to-back singles.

Luis García came on in relief but couldn’t contain the rally. Lawrence Butler, who had a big night of his own, ripped a two-run double to the left-field gap, extending the A’s lead to 6–1. From there, the game slipped quickly out of the Dodgers’ grasp.

Dodgers Can’t Cash In

The Dodgers had a chance to climb back in during the sixth. Will Smith singled, and Freeman walked to put two on with nobody out. But Andy Pages struck out, and Kiké Hernández grounded into a back-breaking double play, squashing the potential comeback.

That was the last serious threat from L.A. The Athletics, meanwhile, just kept piling on.

Seventh Inning Salt in the Wound

The A’s tacked on two more runs in the seventh. Butler doubled again—his third extra-base hit of the game—and scored on a Miguel Andujar single. Then JJ Bleday followed with a single of his own to make it 8–1. The A’s weren’t just hitting; they were finding every hole and capitalizing on every mistake.

Late-Inning Fireworks for the A’s

Any hope for a quiet final frame vanished in the top of the ninth when the A’s unloaded on infielder Miguel Rojas, who took the mound to save the bullpen. Andujar and Bleday each launched solo home runs, giving the Athletics an 11–1 cushion and sending many Dodger fans to the exits early.

Bright Spots in a Dull Night

Will Smith had three hits, continuing his steady production, and Michael Conforto doubled three times, a rare offensive highlight in a blowout loss. Chris Taylor added a double and played all over the field as usual, even sliding over to second base late in the game.

But overall, the Dodgers’ offense was lifeless. They went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and grounded into two rally-killing double plays. Meanwhile, the A’s offense exploded for 17 hits, with Wilson and Butler combining for eight RBI.

Up Next

This one stung, but the season is long. Chalk it up to one bad night and move on. Still, there’s no denying that Tuesday’s performance will leave a bad taste as the Dodgers look to regroup and reassert themselves at Chavez Ravine.The Dodgers and Athletics are back at it on Wednesday evening, this time with Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitted against rookie righty Gunnar Hogland(1-0, 2.38 ERA, 10 SO). Cy Young favorite Yamamoto is coming off the roughest start of the season in Arizona, a game in which he gave up five earned runs on two homers. He’s on “short” rest again, so we’ll see if things get any better this second time around. First pitch, 7:10 PDT. Let’s do it!

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