Dodgers vs Rangers Recap: Santiago Espinal Stays Hot as Dalton Rushing Homers
Spring Training Game 9, 2/28/2026 (split squad): Dodgers 6, Rangers 7
SURPRISE, AZ — In a split-squad contest, the Dodgers lost 6-7 to the Texas Rangers. While the Dodgers offense came alive and there were key contributions from Dalton Rushing, a couple of pitchers gave up big innings, as the Boys in Blue struggled on both sides of town.
Will Klein in one inning gave up 2 runs off 2 hits while striking out 2. While there is cause for concern due to the number of runs he gave up, he still exhibited flashes of excellent pitching. His two strikeouts he picked up were efficient and they contributed to two outs. Furthermore, this loss doesn’t just fall on Will Klein but it highlights the struggles of the farm system’s bullpen. While it is only spring training and there are things to be worked out, the Dodgers do need to emphasize that their bullpen must come through.
On the plus side, we got to witness the pitching of Cole Irvin, a longtime fan favorite of the Oakland Athletics, now pitching for the Dodgers. While he gave up one run in two innings, I have faith that he’d be a name to look out for this offseason as he hopes to make the Dodgers roster.
On the offensive side, Dalton Rushing looked amazing. He went 2-for-3 with a home run, and two RBI. He started the scoring in the top of the first. In all the Dodgers got three home runs (Nick Senzel and Mike Sirota provided the other two). However, it simply wasn’t enough on Saturday, as Dodger pitching gave up a couple of crooked numbers in the middle innings to put the game out of reach.
One development that we need to keep an eye on in this spring’s version of “Who’s on Second?”: Santiago Espinal had yet another great game, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. With his perfect day at the plate, Espinal raises his Cactus League average to a healthy .545 with an OPS north of 1.300. With Hyeseong Kim gone off to the WBC, Espinal will get extra attention to replace Tommy Edman on the Opening Day roster.
Back to “normal” on Sunday, with just one game on the schedule. And it’s our first repeat opponent of the spring: the California Angels. After completely pasting the Angels in the Cactus League opener last week, the Dodgers welcome the Halos to Camelback Ranch for a rematch. Landon Knack gets the ball for the Dodgers. As usual, we have a 12:05 first pitch. See you there!
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