Mike Salas
Game 69, 06/12/2024: Dodgers 2, Rangers 3
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA – Walker Buehler took the mound for the Dodgers to battle against his old teammate Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night. And it was Seager’s bat that was the difference in a 3-2 loss.
Before the start of the game, the Dodgers organization observed a fitting moment of silence for legendary Lakers general manager and player Jerry West, who passed away earlier in the day. West, a 14-time all-star and NBA Champion in 1972, was a huge part of Los Angeles sports history.
Once the game got underway, Dodger fans noticed a new face at third base. Recent trade acquisition Cavan Biggio got the start as Max Muncy continues to be down with the oblique injury. Biggio’s dad, Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, watched from the stands as Cavan got his first start in Dodger blue. Overall, he played a pretty decent game, collecting a hit and playing some good defense, but he would make one costly error in the key inning of the game. With Miguel Vargas optioned to OKC, It remains to be seen how much Biggio will impact the team.
After a nice round of applause for Corey Seager from Dodgers fans, the Rangers got men on base but were unable to score in the top of the first.
The Dodgers came up to bat to see if the magic from Tuesday’s blowout game was still there. And for a hot minute, it looked like the Dodgers would pick up right where they left off. Rangers starter Jon Gray got Mookie Betts to pop up for the first out, and Shohei Ohtani was up next. After getting the count full, Ohtani absolutely crushed his 17th home run to right field to put the Dodgers up 1-0. Unfortunately, that was all the scoring that the Dodgers would do until the final play of the game.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Dodgers looked to open the game up. Mookie Betts got a leadoff single, Ohtani flied out to right field, and Freddie Freeman took a free base with a walk. After a second out from Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez came to the plate with runners in scoring position, Teo battled through nine pitches but eventually struck out chasing a breaking ball, leaving Betts and Freeman on base.
In the top of the fourth inning, Buehler gave up two singles to put runners on first and second with one out. Dodgers head coach Dave Roberts and trainer came out to the mound to talk to Buehler. Walker was visibly annoyed by their visit and looked at the both of them saying, “I’m Fine!!”. Buehler dug in and struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
In the top of the fifth, however, all the traffic came back to bite Buehler in the worst possible way. He gave up a leadoff single, and after a Biggio error at third, the Rangers had runners on first and second with Corey Seager up to bat. Buehler got behind early and then put a nice juicy fastball right down the middle. It was the kind of pitch that Corey Seager doesn’t miss. Seager crushed the ball to right, where it easily cleared the fence to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead over the Dodgers.
The Dodgers made the game interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Will Smith got a single, Andy Pages took a walk with a couple of outs sprinkled in. That put Jason Heyward at the plate with two outs and two on. J Hey roped one to right centerfield to score Will Smith easily. But Pages, coming into third with his head down, didn’t see Dino Ebel holding him up. Pages barreled for home instead. He was thrown out by quite a bit sliding into home for the third out of the inning, ending the game in the worst way possible. It was a rookie mistake for a young player who was trying to make things happen on the bases. But that didn’t make it hurt any less for Dodger fans who had to head to the parking lot with the loss barely digested.
With the series now tied at a game apiece, the Dodgers hope to get a win in Thursday’s rubber game to try and take the series. First pitch will be 7:10 pm. It’s going to be Yoshinobu Yamamoto bobblehead night, so make plans to be at the park early to guarantee you’re one of the lucky ones.
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