Max Langer
CHAVEZ RAVINE — After three straight series losses to the Phillies, Nationals, and Cubs, the Dodgers have responded. After Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani homers led Los Angeles to a win yesterday, some of the “others” carried the bulk of the load tonight.
After a rough first outing in Washington D.C last week, Landon Knack pitched much better at Dodger Stadium. While Knack didn’t quite have the swing-and-miss stuff he showed flickers of last year, the right-hander was actually quite close to putting up five scoreless innings. However, Rockies backstop Jacob Stallings unloaded a high fastball from Knack into the left-field corner with two outs in the fourth, the only runs Knack (and the Dodgers) allowed tonight. Knack probably could’ve pitched further and tried for the win, but with a rested bullpen, Dave Roberts pulled him with one out in the fifth inning in favor of Jack Dreyer. Dreyer, Kirby Yates, Alex Vesia, and Luis Garcia combined to shut out the Rockies for the rest of the game.
On the offensive side of the ball, Will Smith continued his scorching start to 2025, particularly in high-leverage situations. Smith, before his three-run jack off Ryan Feltner in the third, actually entered tonight with a 316 wRC+ with runners in scoring position, practically unheard of. The Dodgers actually tacked on another run in the third, as Chris Taylor drove in Tommy Edman (who had a four-hit night). Taylor drove in two runs, but wasn’t credited with an RBI in the bottom of the second as he grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Freddie Freeman singled home Ohtani in the bottom of the eight for insurance.
The six-run performance is a welcome sight for the Dodgers, who’ve had trouble scoring lately, partly due to the lack of offense from the bottom third in their order, who rank among the worst in Major League baseball so far in terms of offensive production. Taylor, Max Muncy, and Andy Pages all had better nights tonight, and were on-base during LA’s big outburst in the third. The Dodgers also gained a game on both the Giants and the Padres, who lost tonight to the Phillies and Cubs, respectively. Los Angeles will go for a three-game sweep tomorrow as Bobby Miller makes his season debut against German Marquez. First pitch, just like tonight and last night, is scheduled for 7:10 PST.
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