{"id":719493,"date":"2026-06-07T06:24:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T06:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/719493\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T06:24:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T06:24:33","slug":"dodgers-score-9-in-first-then-yoshinobu-yamamoto-shuts-down-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/719493\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers score 9 in first, then Yoshinobu Yamamoto shuts down Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Dodgers<\/a> spent so long racking up an insurmountable lead in the first inning that starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> resorted to throwing a ball against the back of the dugout to stave off rust. <\/p>\n

He also went to the batting cages to keep his arm moving, tossing weighted PlyoCare balls. <\/p>\n

As he worked, the Dodgers scored all of the runs they would need and more to defeat the Angels 9-2<\/a> on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. The chasm between the Freeway Series rivals was on display.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of fun,\u201d Dodgers rookie Ryan Ward<\/a> said of the first-inning onslaught. \u201cYou can feel them start to speed up a little bit, and we\u2019re starting to calm down and enjoy it. And it\u2019s easy to pass it along when you have a lot of runners on, and then just keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n

The one-run lead the Angels<\/a> (24-41) had jumped out to in the top of the inning \u2014 when a leaping center fielder Andy Pages<\/a> couldn\u2019t quite reel in Oswald Peraza<\/a>\u2018s deep line drive for an RBI triple \u2014 was long forgotten after the Dodgers rallied for nine runs in the first.<\/p>\n

\"Andy <\/p>\n

Andy Pages celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run as part of a nine-run first inning for the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bola\u00f1os \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

It was the most runs the Dodgers scored in a single inning in nearly five years, matching their seventh-inning rally against the Nationals on July 2, 2021.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers (42-23) helped themselves with a show of power. Pages drove in the first two runs by crushing a center-cut changeup from Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz<\/a> over the left-field wall.<\/p>\n

Judging by his stroll out of the batter\u2019s box, Pages seemed to know it was a homer on contact.<\/p>\n

The ball had so much loft that reliever Blake Treinen<\/a> parked under it in the bullpen and caught it with his hat. His fellow relievers mobbed him in an impromptu mosh pit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe homer by Andy to answer back was big, kind of put to bed any type of momentum they had at the top of the first,\u201d manager Dave Roberts said. \u201cAnd then after that, just the hits kept coming, just good at-bats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later in the same inning, after the lineup turned over, Shohei Ohtani<\/a> also notched a two-run homer, for his second hit. In between, rookie Ryan Ward hit a two-run double off the wall.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers brought 12 batters to the plate and recorded six hits in a row \u2014 seven total.<\/p>\n

The Angels\u2019 shoddy defense exacerbated the scoring spree. They had a chance to get out of it just four runs into the rally.<\/p>\n

Kochanowicz had faced eight hitters and only recorded one out when Angels manager Kurt Suzuki turned to his bullpen.<\/p>\n

Veteran left-hander Brent Suter jogged in with the bases loaded. Immediately, Suter got Alex Freeland<\/a> to hit a ground ball to shortstop Zach Neto<\/a>, for what should have been an inning-ending double play.<\/p>\n

Instead, Neto\u2019s throw across his body sailed past second and into foul territory on the other side of the diamond. By the time Angels right fielder Jo Adell<\/a> collected the ball and threw to the cutoff man, three runs had scored.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always say, you can\u2019t give good teams extra outs,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cAnd so, to give us extra outs just makes us really tough to beat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Ohtani was up next. And in a two-strike count, he stayed inside a sinker to launch his two-run blast to left-center field.<\/p>\n

The Angels\u2019 defense didn\u2019t fare much better in the second, although Suter navigated a pair of misplays \u2014 Neto muffed a one-hopper up the middle, which was ruled a single, and third baseman Donovan Walton overthrew first on a chopper \u2014 to escape without the Dodgers extending their lead.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto retired 22 straight en route to eight innings of two-hit ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was given a big lead,\u201d Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. \u201cSo what I was trying to do was focus on my execution and also be fine, precise with my location, the height and location of my pitches.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers against the Angels in the first inning Saturday at Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bola\u00f1os \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The lead also gave him a chance to experiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get up big like that, you don\u2019t want to get too cute to an extent,\u201d catcher Dalton Rushing<\/a> said. \u201cBut you also want to understand and see what he\u2019s capable of. … For him, it\u2019s so easy, because he has eight pitches that he can throw wherever he wants. Obviously it\u2019s fun to work with him. We tried a few new tricks, and we\u2019ll carry them over into his next one.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Yamamoto gave the Dodgers bullpen a rest, Roberts used the early blowout to give first baseman Freddie Freeman<\/a> some rest.<\/p>\n

Freeman, who has played in 62 of the Dodgers\u2019 65 games, left after the top of the fourth inning, replaced by Miguel Rojas<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The Angels had time to chip away, but they didn\u2019t score again until Neto\u2019s solo homer off Dodgers reliever Jack Dreyer<\/a> in the ninth inning.<\/p>\n

The contrast was glaring.<\/p>\n

\"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams defensive end Myles Garrett throws out the ceremonial first pitch Saturday at Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bola\u00f1os \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Smith scratched<\/p>\n

Dodgers catcher Will Smith<\/a> was scratched from the lineup because of a stiff neck, Roberts said. The issue \u201ccame out of nowhere,\u201d Roberts said, pointing to a \u201cbad night\u2019s sleep or a bad pillow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was going to play two out of three [against the Angels] regardless,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cSo it\u2019s nice that we could kind of tap Dalton on the shoulder and get him in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts said he expects Smith will return to the lineup Sunday.<\/p>\n

Injury update<\/p>\n

Right-handed reliever Brock Stewart (left foot bone spur) is progressing after a setback a week and a half ago stymied his throwing progression.<\/p>\n

The last time Stewart threw live batting practice, he aggravated the injury by running afterward. But throwing to hitters Saturday went better. He\u2019s scheduled to throw one more live BP session before going out on a minor-league rehab assignment, Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Roster moves \"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow smiles on the field before the Dodgers\u2019 9-2 win Saturday against the Angels at Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Dodgers added right-hander Nick Frasso to the 40-man roster and transferred right-hander Tyler Glasnow<\/a> (back spasms) to the 60-day injured list.<\/p>\n

The team originally expected Glasnow to avoid the IL altogether, but his back issues have persisted. He remains shut down from throwing after a flare-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wants to get cranking again,\u201d Roberts said, \u201cbut the doctors just aren\u2019t allowing it and the body is not allowing for it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dodgers also traded left-hander Antoine Kelly, whom they signed to a minor-league deal in November to the Cubs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dodgers spent so long racking up an insurmountable lead in the first inning that starting pitcher Yoshinobu…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":719494,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2406],"tags":[291,2229,5,4267,7880,39,3652,1165,4332,4333,1994,774,57,3224,4331,4,1602,3215,89999,89998,89997,235,313,2052],"class_list":["post-719493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-angels","tag-ball","tag-baseball","tag-batter","tag-dodger","tag-dodgers","tag-homer","tag-la","tag-la-dodgers","tag-ladodgers","tag-lineup","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesdodgers","tag-mlb","tag-roberts","tag-run","tag-second-hit","tag-seventh-inning-rally","tag-shoddy-defense","tag-team","tag-yoshinobu-yamamoto","tag-zach-neto"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116707397988758876","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/719494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}