Steve Webb
HOUSTON, TX — The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Houston Astros 5-0 on Wednesday night, marking their first game of the season without star first baseman Freddie Freeman in the lineup. Freeman, who is dealing with a family medical issue, stayed home in California as the Dodgers started their three-city road trip. Despite some opportunities, the Dodgers were unable to solve Astros’ ace Framber Valdez, who delivered a masterful performance over 6.1 innings in the shutout win.
Gavin Stone, usually a reliable starter for the Dodgers, had a tough outing on Friday. Over six innings, he allowed nine hits and four earned runs, including home runs by Alex Bregman and Jon Singleton. Stone’s record now stands at 9-4 with a 3.34 ERA. He’s had better nights.
Valdez, on the other hand, was dominant. He pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing only four hits and striking out ten Dodgers batters. Valdez improved his record to 9-5 with a 3.43 ERA.
Despite the absence of Freeman, the Dodgers lineup had opportunities to score, particularly in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, Gavin Lux singled and Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith both walked to load the bases with one out. However, Valdez struck out Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages to end the threat.
In the seventh inning, the Dodgers had runners on first and third with no outs after singles by Miguel Vargas and Enrique Hernández. But a pitching change brought in Bryan Abreu, who struck out Cavan Biggio and Nick Ahmed, while a base running misjudgment led to Enrique Hernández being thrown out at second after what seemed like it was a run-scoring infield single from Gavin Lux. The whole thing was a sloppy mess.
The Astros capitalized on their opportunities, adding insurance runs in the third, fourth, and eighth innings. Bregman’s solo home run in the third inning and Singleton’s two-run shot in the fourth gave Houston an early 4-0 lead. In the eighth, Mauricio Dubón‘s RBI double off Ryan Yarbrough extended the lead to 5-0.
The Dodgers, now 62-43 and still atop the NL West, will need to regroup quickly. The loss highlights the significant impact of Freeman’s absence and the importance of timely hitting. Meanwhile, the Astros, who improved to 54-49 and lead the AL West, continue to show their strength in critical moments.
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