Dodgers struggle with runners on, drop series to Angels; lose Seager

Anytime you double the amount of hits your opposition has, it usually results in a victory. That wasn’t the case on Tuesday night. The Dodgers finished the game with 12 hits compared to the Angels’ six. It didn’t matter, as they fell 5-3, losing the two-game series.

LA had no problem stringing hits together all night. The problem, was getting hits when they had runners on base. For the night, the Dodgers were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and left a total of 15 runners on base.

The ninth inning was a prime example of what LA struggled all night to do. Trailing by two runs, the Dodgers were able to get runners on the corners with no outs. It came with a price, as it appeared Corey Seager injured his hamstring while rounding third. He would exit the game.

With the tying run at first, the Dodgers went 1-2-3. Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez both struck out, and Russell Martin grounded out to end the game.

This was a common theme all night, as LA failed to capitalize on what could have been a huge offensive night. In the fourth, the Dodgers had runners on second and third with one out. No runs.

In the fifth, runners on first and second with two outs. No runs.

In the seventh, the bases loaded with only one out. No runs.

The chances were there, and it was just too big of a task for the Dodgers. All three of their runs came via the long ball, with Max Muncy contributing two and David Freese hitting a pinch-hit homer.

Aside from the offense going cold in the most crucial situations, the pitching for the most part was excellent all night. Well, except for the first inning.

Kenta Maeda allowed five runs in the first inning. These would be the only runs scored all game. The five runs in the inning were a shock, but seeing a Dodgers starter allow five runs in an outing was an even bigger surprise. For nearly the last two months, Dodgers starters have been the best in baseball, often going deep into games and now allowing more than a couple of runs usually. Maeda eventually settled down, but his high pitch count forced him to leave after 4 ¹⁄₃ innings.

Caleb Ferguson came on in relief, and threw 1 ²⁄₃ innings of scoreless ball. He also struck out three. This was Ferguson’s first game back with the club after being optioned to Triple-A a few weeks ago. Pedro Baez and Ross Stripling also threw a scoreless inning as well.

Tuesday particulars

WP: Felix Pena (4-1, 3 ²⁄₃ IP, 2 ER, 4 SO)

LP: Kenta Maeda (7-3) 4 ¹⁄₃ IP, 5 ER, 4 SO, 3 BB

SV: Hansel Robles (9) 1 ²⁄₃ IP, 3 SO

Home runs: Max Muncy (14, 15) David Freese (7) Shohei Ohtani (7) Justin Bour (5)

Up next

The Dodgers will have an off-day tomorrow, and will host the Cubs for a four-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning Thursday.