The Angels’ Al Alberquerque followed a six hit pitching performance by Andrew Heaney to shut down the Dodgers 2-1, in their first meeting of the season at Dodger Stadium. The Angels scored their two runs on 8 hits, and the Dodgers scored their only run on a total of seven hits.
Both teams used a score of new players and junior varsity hopefuls for this first of three in the annual Freeway Series. The Dodgers’ cause was hurt by a slew of silent bats from Gonzales, Puig and Ellis, among the veterans, along with an 0 for 3 performance from Trayce Thompson, son of former Laker Mychal Thompson.
Both teams committed fielding errors, ranging from a too-casual catch by Seager that resulted in an extra base, and a missed sweeping catch at first by Angel first baseman CJ Cron.
Both teams return to Chaves Ravine tomorrow night, and then travel to Anaheim for the Saturday game. The 2016 season officially opens for the Dodgers Monday afternoon in San Diego. They will host their home opener on April 12 against Arizona.
Here’s how we blogged it.
It’s not official yet, but it is oh so close. The Dodgers play their first 2016 game on home soil tonight against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium in the opening contest of their annual Freeway Series.
New manager Dave Roberts makes his semi-official debut at Chavez Ravine, as the Dodgers edge closer to beginning the 2016 season. The new season begins Monday in San Diego and the Dodgers come home for their Opening Day April 12.
First pitch: 7:11 p.m. Attendance: 36,505.
FIRST INNING:
TOP
Yunel Escobar is way out at first.
Craig Gentry grounds out to first.
DH Albert Pujols hits a designated single to first. (See what I did there?)
CJ Cron looks inside, looks outside, goes to 2-2, then strikes all out.
Angels 0, Dodgers coming up.
BOTTOM
Enrique Hernandez, looking dashing in blue, takes 0-2, then singles to right off the Halos’ Andrew Heaney.
Yasiel Puig singles to first, as Hernandez gets caught at second.
Justin Turner, from Long Beach, of all places, gets to 1-1, then 2-1, then hits a loud foul to the expensive seats, before dropping a bloop single to short center. Runners parked on First and Third.
Cue the Ranchera music. It’s Adrian Gonzales, who hits one right at first baseman Cron.
Scott Van Slyke gets shot down at first with a dazzling throw from second baseman Johnny Giovatella.
Dodgers 0, Angels 0.
SECOND INNING
TOP
Kole Calhoun (he of the cool cowboy name), gets roped at first. Yee-haw.
Andrelton Simmons (no relation) strolls to first base.
Carlos Perez drives one straight up the middle.
Shane Robinson hits into a double play, successfully killing the rally.
Dodgers 0, Angels 0.
BOTTOM
Chase Utley singles to first.
AJ “Rarely a hero, maybe this season will be different” Ellis, flies out.
Corey Seager skids one past third base, moving Utley to second.
Pitcher Scott Kazmir tries to bunt and gets gone at third.
Kike Hernandez flies out to short center.
Dodgers 0, Angels 0.
TOP
Johnny Giovatella gets a full count, then sends one deep to Yasiel Puig, who avoids a mid-air collision with Hernandez.
Two other Angels go down. I went and got frozen yogurt .
Dodgers 0, Angels 0.
BOTTOM
Puig grounds out to first.
(I thought the frozen yogurt was vanilla. It was pineapple. Tart!)
Justin Turner blooples one past the pitcher, but the second baseman not so much. Out at first.
Adrian Gonzales goes back to the dugout, and then to first base, being that the inning is very over.
Dodgers 0, Angels 0.
FOURTH INNING
TOP
Albert Pujols swings and misses.
CJ Cron grounds out to first.
Calhoun trots up to the plate, then gallops to first.
Corey Seager drops an easy one, sending Simmons to first, as a run scores.
With runners on first and second, Shane Robinson gets to 0-2, then strikes out.
Dodgers 0, Angels 1.
BOTTOM
Scott Van Slyke flies out highly to first.
Utley looks at strike one going by, fouls one off his thigh, sends another to the really expensive first base line seats, then flies out to left.
Ellis flies out.
Dodgers 0, Angels 1.
FIFTH INNING
TOP
Johnny Giovatella (no relation) strikes out.
Yunel Escobar drops one nicely into short right field.
Craig Gentry, zip for two this evening, goes 1-1, 2-1, and this at-bat makes it a double play and zip for three.
Hang on. The call is under review.
The call is reversed. Gentry is chillaxing at first base.
Yimi Garcia is in to pitch for the Dodger Dogs.
Albert Pujols is designated. He flies out to center.
Dodgers 0, Angels 1.
BOTTOM
Corey Seager singles to short right.
Trayce Thompson gets his name online. He goes to 1-1, 1-2, …
Seager goes to second on a wild pitch.
…2-2, …then strikes out.
Kike Hernandez (No relation) flies out to first.
Puig singles to first, scoring Seager from second.
Puig steals second, then nabs third on an error.
Meanwhile, Turner is 2-2…3-2, and draws a walk.
Aquí viene Adrián González, 0 for two tonight. He flies out to center.
Dodgers 1, Angels 1.
SIXTH INNING
Top
Pedro Baez now pitching for LA.
CJ Cron is out, apparently. My back was turned.
Calhoun flies out to deep right.
Andrelton Simmons (I think that’s a wine out of Sonoma) drops one into center, then gets thrown out at center.
Dodgers 1, Angels 1.
BOTTOM
Scott Van Slyke is out van out.
Chase Utley is ut. I mean, out.
AJ Ellis gets to second on a fielding error.
Charlie Culberson (no relation) flies out.
Dodgers 1, Angels 1.
SEVENTH INNING
TOP
Carlos Perez sends a pitch to deep left for a single.
Ji-Man Choi (no relation) smacks one over Utley’s head, spinning him around, but Utley recovers to stop Perez at second.
Giovatella is safe at first, as Choi gets caught at second.
(Finally, a decent wave….)
Rafael Ortega flies out to Seager.
Dodgers 1, Angels 1.
“Everybody Sing!”
BOTTOM
And we’re back.
Trayce Thompson (Son of Laker Mychal) goes to 0-2, and then goes down, swinging in slow motion.
Rob Segedin also joins the strike out club.
Puig gets a membership to the same club.
Dodgers 1, Angels 1.
EIGHTH INNING
TOP
JP Howell now pitching. He allows a hit to the first batter he faces. In comes Chris Hatcher.
Austin Barnes gets to first safely. Whoever that first batter was, is out at second.
CJ Cron…..OK, we’re back. I was delivering hotdogs to a friend.
There are Angel runners on first and second, and the Angels now lead, 2-1, on a single by one of them (I know, I know…). Carlos Perez is at the plate with a 3-2 count, and two down. Down he goes.
Angels 2, Dodgers 1.
BOTTOM
Cory Rasmus is now pitching for the Angels.
Austin Barnes swings and misses. Again. And then one more time. And then says a bad word.
Johan Mieses flies out.
Yusniel Diaz also flies out. Way out.
NINTH INNING
TOP
Kenley Jansen pitching for the Dodgers.
Ji-Man Choi flies out to left.
Giovatella gets some chin music from Jansen, 2-2. He flies out to Puig.
Rafael Ortega (0-1), gets to 1-1, then helps himself to 1-2. He strikes out, hippity-hopping at the plate, like he just stepped barefoot on a bee.
BOTTOM
Greg Mahle, who appears to pitch from his left front pocket, is on the mound for Los Halos.
Chase Utley tries to bunt, staring at the ball, mocking him, rolling away, just inches from the plate.
He fouls off the next pitch. He grounds out to first.
(Chat show on the mound. The Dodger organist plays the Beatles “We Can Work it Out,” then “Mission: Impossible.”)
AJ Ellis tries to proves this correspondent wrong. He flies out to center. I’m just sayin’…
Culberson arrives at 2-1, then 2-2, before the remaining 14,00 or so here, as the Angel first baseman missteps the base.
Thompson is at 1-2, with a runner on first. Two balls, two strikes, two out….make that three.
FINAL: Angels 2, Dodgers 1.
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