Bottom of Angels’ batting order gets to Dodgers’ top-rated pitching staff originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan couldn’t hold on against the bottom of the Los Angeles Angels‘ batting order.
Neither could four of the Dodgers’ six relief pitchers.
In a departure from the dominant pitching the Dodgers displayed most of this season, Sheehan dug in for a start at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, attempting to maintain the starters’ strong week, but the visiting batters dug deeper.
With the Dodgers’ starting staff yielding one run in their previous 27 innings, entering Sunday, Sheehan failed to escape the extra effort it took facing the bottom of the order.
“Frustrating, definitely couldn’t put guys away,” Sheehan told reporters after the game. “Not efficient, not good.”
Dodgers’ Emmet Sheehan discovers trouble vs. Angels
After Nolan Schanuel struck out on five pitches to open the second inning, Sheehan’s troubles started when he was forced to deliver 30 pitches to the next four batters.
Angels outfielder Jo Adell opened the rout with a single on a 3-2 pitch. He was followed by Nick Madrigal’s epic 14-pitch walk, aided by a dropped foul ball by right fielder Kyle Tucker. Sheehan then faced a bases-loaded situation following a controversial call. Jose Siri earned a seven-pitch walk, but on the 3-2 pitch, Siri appeared to foul-tip the 95-mph four-seam fastball into the glove of catcher Dalton Rushing, but home plate umpire Dan Iassogna ruled against contact.
On the third pitch, backup catcher Sebastian Rivero opened a career night by singling to right, scoring the first two runs Sunday. The No. 9 hitter finished 5-for-5 and drove in six runs. Adell posted four hits and four runs scored and Siri added three hits, two runs and two RBI, fueling the Angels to a 13-5 victory.
The Dodgers ranked first in team earned-run average (3.01), but couldn’t contain the bottom four batters in the Angels’ lineup Sunday. Adell, Madrigal, Siri and Rivero went a combined 13-for-15 with 10 runs scored and 10 RBI.
