LOS ANGELES — The Freeway Series ended with a thud. After a walk-off Friday and a blowout Saturday, Sunday was supposed to be a chance for the Dodgers to close out the crosstown rivalry with the same energy they had been riding all weekend. Instead, Emmet Sheehan lasted barely an inning, the Angels piled on from every angle, and Los Angeles absorbed a 13-5 loss that was never really close. The Dodgers drop the series finale but still take two of three from Anaheim.
Sheehan Never Got Going
Emmet Sheehan did not make it out of the second inning, and it was not a close call. The right-hander navigated a clean first but ran into a wall in the second. Jo Adell singled, an overturned challenge put Nick Madrigal on base, Jose Siri walked, and Sebastian Rivero punished the jam with a two-run line drive to center. Sheehan was gone. According to the broadcast, it was the shortest outing of his career.
Edgardo Henriquez came on to stop the bleeding and did his job, working 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. But the Angels were not done.
The Wheels Fell Off in the Fourth and Seventh
Blake Treinen inherited a mess in the fourth and could not clean it up. A passed ball by Dalton Rushing moved Jo Adell to second and Nick Madrigal walked to put two on. After a sacrifice bunt set the table, Rivero struck again with a two-run single that pushed the Angels to a 4-1 lead.
Whatever remained of the Dodgers’ competitive footing disappeared in the seventh. Jonathan Hernandez could not find the zone, and the Angels took full advantage. Jo Adell launched a two-run homer to make it 8-5. Then Zach Neto went deep for a three-run shot, and just like that the score read 12-5. Hernandez allowed seven hits and six earned runs in 1.2 innings, a line that tells the whole story. By the time the ninth inning rolled around, it was a matter of math.
Rushing and Ward Keep It Honest
On a day when almost nothing went right, Dalton Rushing gave the Dodgers something to build on. The catcher went 4-for-4 with a homer, a double and three RBIs. He has been one of the more consistent bats in the lineup and Sunday was his best showing at the plate in recent memory.
Ryan Ward added a solo shot of his own in the sixth, his second of the year. The two homers came back-to-back in the sixth inning after an error opened the door, briefly cutting the deficit to 6-5. It was the one moment the crowd at Dodger Stadium stirred. But the Angels answered in the next half inning and never looked back.
The final line was ugly: 13 runs, 15 hits, and a bullpen that burned through seven pitchers. The Dodgers finished with 11 hits but left five on base and could not sustain any pressure when they needed it most.
Up Next
The Dodgers have Monday off before traveling to Pittsburgh for a series opener Tuesday against the Pirates. Eric Lauer gets the ball for Los Angeles against Paul Skenes, one of the best young arms in baseball. First pitch is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. PT.
