LOS ANGELES — Dalton Rushing gets the hero’s welcome after his walk-off single beat the Orioles, 6-5, on Friday at Dodger Stadium. Credit: @dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Friday’s series opener against Baltimore had no business ending the way it did. The Dodgers built a three-run cushion in the first two innings, watched it disappear across two brutal frames, and stood one strike from going home empty against an Orioles bullpen that had them on the ropes. Then Dalton Rushing stepped in with two outs in the ninth, the tying run already in, and the winning run on second. He lined a single to right. Tyler O’Neill’s throw home sailed away from the plate, and the Dodgers walked off the Orioles 6-5 at Dodger Stadium in a series opener that swung about four different directions before anyone could exhale.
Fast Start, No Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani was not in the lineup, and for a very good reason: he and his wife are expecting their second child and the Dodgers placed him on paternity leave for the series opener. The lineup card looked different without him, but it did not look any less productive. Kyle Tucker drew a leadoff walk in the first, Mookie Betts ripped a double into the right field corner to put runners on second and third, and Max Muncy lined a single through the right side to bring both of them home. Tommy Edman followed with a single of his own, and even though the inning ended with a groundout, the Dodgers had the lead before Roki Sasaki threw his tenth pitch.
They tacked on another in the second. Alex Freeland singled, and two batters later Andy Pages ripped a line drive double into left that the Orioles challenged and lost, scoring Freeland and making it 3-0. Through two innings, Sasaki had faced six batters and retired six, and the early read was that Los Angeles was going to cruise.
Sasaki Unravels, Helsley Implodes
Sasaki cruised right up until he didn’t. He worked around a leadoff single in the sixth, then Gunnar Henderson turned on a fastball and sent it to right field to make it a one-run game. Two batters later, Pete Alonso did the same thing to left center, and just like that a 3-0 Dodgers lead was a tie game. Sasaki finished his day having gone 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with six strikeouts, the two homers the only real blemish on an otherwise sharp outing.
The bullpen could not hold the line behind him. Will Klein walked a batter and gave up two singles in the seventh, and by the time the inning was salvaged with a double play, Baltimore had pushed two runs across and grabbed a 5-3 lead. The Dodgers got nothing going in the eighth, and the ninth started with Ryan Helsley on the mound for the Orioles protecting what looked like a save situation.
It did not stay that way for long. Freddie Freeman opened with a groundout, and then Betts turned on one and drove it out to left field to cut the deficit to a single run. Max Muncy walked. Alex Call came in to pinch run. Edman popped out in foul territory for the second out, and Ryan Ward worked a walk to put runners on first and second with the Dodgers down to their final out.
Rushing Delivers, O’Neill’s Throw Sails
Two outs, last strike away from a loss, and Dalton Rushing lined a single to right field. Call scored easily from second to tie it. Ryan Ward came around from first right behind him, and Tyler O’Neill’s throw home got away from the catcher, letting Ward slide in standing up with the winning run. Final score: 6-5, Dodgers, on a walk-off hit and a throwing error with the Orioles one pitch from escaping with the win just moments earlier. Rushing finished 1-for-5, but the only at-bat that will get remembered is the one that ended the game.
Betts carried the offense all night, going 3-for-5 with a homer, a double, and two runs scored, while Edman quietly put together a 3-for-5 night of his own from the leadoff spot. Muncy drove in two without leaving the yard, and Andy Pages chipped in a double and an RBI in the early scoring. Blake Treinen worked a clean ninth before the Dodgers ever got to bat in the bottom half, locking up the win for a bullpen that needed every bit of the cushion the offense eventually built back.
LOS ANGELES — Down to their final strike, the Dodgers found a way. Teammates swarm Dalton Rushing after his walk-off single sealed a 6-5 win over the Orioles on Friday night. Credit: @dodgers
Up Next
The series continues Saturday at 7:10 p.m. PST at Dodger Stadium, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound against Trevor Rogers for Baltimore. After a series opener that needed a two-out, ninth-inning rally just to survive, the Dodgers will take a cleaner version of Friday night’s finish if they can get one.
LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) is set to take the mound Saturday when the Dodgers continue their series against the Baltimore Orioles. Credit: @dodgers