Clayton Kershaw and Dodgers dominate in 9-1 victory over Angels
Clayton Kershaw threw seven perfect innings and Justin Turner drove in four runs as the high-flying Dodgers dominated the free-falling Angels in a 9-1 win at Angel Stadium on Friday.
Kershaw allowed one hit, no walks and struck out six over 89 pitches, putting on a masterclass of efficiency and placement. Luis Rengifo ended Kershaw’s bid for a perfect game with a leadoff double in the eighth inning.
Brandon Marsh’s solo home run off Dodgers reliever Reyes Moronta in the ninth inning broke the Dodgers’ shutout bid.
The teams continue their rivalry Saturday night in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break. The Dodgers improved to 59-30 on the season, with the Angels falling to 39-52.
Luis Rengifo doubles to end Clayton Kershaw’s perfect game bid
Luis Rengifo became the first Angels baserunner of the game in the eighth inning, ending Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw’s bid for a perfect game with a leadoff double.
Kershaw retired 21 consecutive batters before Rengifo sent a 2-1 pitch into left field. The Dodgers remain firmly in control, leading 9-0.
It marked the second time this season Kershaw threw seven perfect innings — he pulled off the feat on April 13 against the Minnesota Twins before being relieved. According to Elias Sports, Kershaw is the only pitcher since the expansion era started in 1961 to go perfect through seven innings multiple times in a single season.
Kershaw left Rengifo stranded by retiring Jo Adell, Jared Walsh and Andrew Velazquez to cap the inning. He received a standing ovation from the Angel Stadium crowd before getting plenty of hand slaps and hugs from his teammates and coaches in the dugout.
Kershaw allowed one hit and struck out six on 89 pitches (63 strikes). Reyes Moronta will take over on the mound for the Dodgers in the ninth inning.
The performance should make Kershaw a lock for the start in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
⚾ End of the eighth: Dodgers 9, Angels 0
Justin Turner drives in his fourth run of the game
Justin Turner drove in his fourth run of the game on a run-scoring single to left, giving the Dodgers a 9-0 lead over the Angels in the eighth inning.
Will Smith, who hit a two-out triple, scored on Turner’s hit.
Clayton Kershaw perfect through seven innings vs. Angels
Clayton Kershaw is perfect through seven inning after retiring Michael Stefanic, Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward in order. Kershaw struck out Ohtani and Ward to make it 21 consecutive retirements.
A great defensive stop by Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner helped keep the perfect game intact, with the Dodgers leading 8-0 heading into the eighth inning.
Kershaw is putting on a masterclass for efficiency and location. His well-placed pitches coupled with a strong mix of fastballs and off-speed pitching has thwarted the Angels’ hitters so far. He’s at 71 pitches for the game.
⚾ End of the seventh: Dodgers 8, Angels 0
Clayton Kershaw perfect through six innings
Clayton Kershaw has retired 18 consecutive Angels batters on 59 pitches and is perfect through six innings at Angel Stadium.
After taking a called third strike, Angels third baseman Jonathan Villar was ejected by home plate umpire Cory Blaser after saying something as he walked toward the dugout. Kurt Suzuki then flied out before Brandon Marsh grounded out to second to end the inning.
End of sixth inning: Dodgers 8, Angels 0
Dodgers drive in four more runs to take 8-0 lead
Freddie Freeman, who drove in the game’s first run, plated Austin Barnes on a sacrifice fly to center field to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead over the Angels in the sixth inning.
Will Smith followed with a double to left field off Angels reliever Austin Warren to bring home Gavin Lux and give the Dodgers a 6-0 lead. Justin Turner then hit a two-run single on a line drive to left to make it 8-0 Dodgers.
The Dodgers’ scoring surge — and the Angels’ inability to quickly get outs — could potentially be a rhythm breaker for Clayton Kershaw, who is perfect through five innings.
Clayton Kershaw perfect through five innings against Angels
Clayton Kershaw is doing everything he can to prove he’s worthy of starting in the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.
Kershaw put together another 1-2-3 inning, taking advantage of a lunging catch by Hanser Alberto on a 103-mph Jared Walsh liner to cap the inning and stay perfect in the game.
Kershaw hasn’t allowed a baserunner on 49 pitches.
⚾ End of the fifth inning: Dodgers 4, Angels 0
Dodgers take 4-0 lead on Hanser Alberto’s two-run triple
Hanser Alberto hit a two-run triple off Angels starter Patrick Sandoval to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning.
Angels right fielder Jo Adell misplayed the hit, breaking the wrong way on the warning track to allow the ball to bounce off the wall. Will Smith and Justin Turner easily scored on the play.
Sandoval, who couldn’t hide his frustration after the hit, was relieved by Jose Marte.
Clayton Kershaw perfect through four innings vs. Angels
Justin Turner made a spectacular diving stop before throwing out Michael Stefanic at first as part another 1-2-3 inning for Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw has retired the first 12 batters he has faced so far.
Clayton Kershaw retires the first nine Angels batters in order
Clayton Kershaw has retired the first nine batters he has faced, helping the Dodgers hold a 2-0 lead over the Angels heading into the fourth inning.
Kershaw struck out Jonathan Villar, got Kurt Suzuki to ground out to second before striking out Brandon Marsh in the third to stay perfect early on.
⚾ End of the third inning: Dodgers 2, Angels 0
Freddie Freeman helps Dodgers jump out to 2-0 lead
Freddie Freeman, amid fan chants of “Freddie, Freddie!” for the Orange County born and raised star, drove in the game’s first run on a single off Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval in the first inning.
Justin Turner drove in another run two batters later, plating Trea Turner from third on a groundout.
Mookie Betts led off the game with a walk and scored on Freeman’s single.
The Angels managed to limit the damage with a spectacular heads-up play by third baseman Jonathan Villar, who snagged a speedy, bouncing liner off the bat of Hanser Alberto to tag out a retreating Freeman at third before throwing to first to snare Alberto for a double play.
Clayton Kershaw retired Michael Stefanic, Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward on 11 pitches.
⚾ End of the first inning: Dodgers 2, Angels 0
Mike Trout eager to return for Angels vs. Dodgers on Saturday
Mike Trout sat out a third consecutive game for the Angels on Friday, but he’s determined to return Saturday against the Dodgers.
“I feel that treatment went good today and I’m gonna be in tomorrow,” Trout said after the Angels’ 9-1 loss to the Dodgers at Angel Stadium. “I wanna be in there tomorrow.”
Trout hasn’t played since he was pulled from the Angels’ loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday because of upper back spasms.
“He’s improving,” Angels trainer Mike Frostad said. “We’re almost at that point where he’s ready to start a game. We just keep doing treatments on him every day and we’re getting closer and closer.”
Added interim manager Phil Nevin: “I trust what Frosty tells me. I trust what Mike tells me. … At the moment, same situation. We’ll evaluate before [the game] and if he’s available to go, I’ll use him in the right spot.”
Frostad did not specify what Trout’s treatments have included but did say they have been benefiting the ailing slugger. He also said there are no plans to conduct further MRI exams or CT scans — the tests done Tuesday did not show any structural damage.
The initial plan, shared by Nevin on Wednesday, was to give Trout two days off from the starting lineup (Wednesday and Thursday). And before Thursday’s game, Nevin appeared optimistic Trout was well enough to make an appearance off the bench if needed and could potentially start Friday’s game.
Trout was ultimately ruled unavailable and was held out of Friday’s starting lineup, which drew questions over whether Trout had a setback.
Frostad, on Friday, clarified that Trout’s back did not get worse. Trout said he would be playing in the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
Trout started feeling soreness in his back when the team was in Miami last week. He said Wednesday that he had been trying to play through it.
The Angels have one more game against the Dodgers on Saturday, then head into All-Star break.
Trout will be reevaluated before Saturday’s game.
MRI test on Brusdar Graterol’s shoulder comes back clean
An MRI test on the right shoulder of Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol showed no structural damage Friday, and the hard-throwing right-hander is expected to return in two to three weeks.
Graterol, who was splitting set-up duties with Evan Phillips in place of the injured Blake Treinen and Daniel Hudson, was put on the 15-day injured list Thursday because of shoulder inflammation, an injury that flared up following plyometric ball drills Wednesday.
“He said he feels much better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Friday’s game. “It’s not as tender. His range of motion is good. I don’t know when he’ll be back, but I still believe it will be shorter rather than longer.”
Steve Stone and J.R. Richard were the starting pitchers in the 1980 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. By the end of the 1981 season, their careers were over.
Graterol is 2-3 with a 3.35 ERA and three saves in 37 games this season, striking out 35 and walking 10 in 40 1/3 innings. He will not throw over the All-Star break, the Dodgers not wanting to rush him back too soon.
“I think given where the injury is, the value that he has for our ballclub, I think we’re going to err obviously on the side of caution,” Roberts said. “If it takes a few more days or a week a little bit longer, we’ll do that.”
Rob Manfred on Trevor Bauer, payroll disparity, rule changes and TV blackouts
NEW YORK — On July 8, 1980, the day of the last All-Star Game played at Dodger Stadium, the No. 1 song in America was Paul McCartney’s “Coming Up.”
In 2019, McCartney performed at Dodger Stadium. He’s still got it.
And, three years later, the All-Star Game is back at Dodger Stadium. Our favorite ballpark has still got it too.
Before the stars take the stage, I talked Dodgers and all things baseball with Rob Manfred, the major league commissioner. Here is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation:
Here are the lineups for Dodgers vs. Angels on Friday
Here are the starting lineups on Friday.
Freddie Freeman relishes chance to play at old stomping grounds, Angel Stadium
ST. LOUIS — Freddie Freeman didn’t get a suite this time.
Until he actually takes the field at Angel Stadium on Friday night, in the ballpark where he grew up attending games as a kid, he didn’t want to jinx it.
“I’ve had multiple opportunities to play in Angel Stadium,” Freeman said this week. “And I have not been able to.”
Not since 2011, anyway, when Freeman played three games against the Angels in Anaheim during his rookie season with the Atlanta Braves.
In 2017, Freeman had secured an entire suite for his family members ahead of the Braves’ first trip back to Anaheim in six years — only to break his wrist two weeks before the series, forcing him to miss all three games.
Dodger Stadium concession workers agree to not strike during All-Star Game events
In honor of Dodger Stadium turning 60 years old, we asked Janet Marie Smith, Dodger executive vice president of planning and development, to show us some of the lesser-known details about the stadium.
Concession workers will not strike during All-Star events at Dodger Stadium.
The union representing the workers said Friday that “substantial progress” had been made in contract negotiations with Levy Restaurants, the Chicago-based company that employs the workers and contracts with the Dodgers to operate stadium concessions.
“Both parties look forward to a successful All-Star Game and continued negotiations,” according to a joint statement posted on the union’s Twitter account Friday.
Jaime Jarrín has seen every big Dodgers moment in L.A.: Here are his fondest memories
Jaime Jarrín, the longest-tenured broadcaster in Major League Baseball, has witnessed more games at Dodger Stadium than anyone else since it opened in 1962. Sixty years later, the ballpark will fittingly host its second All-Star Game in Jarrín’s 64th and final season as one of the club’s Spanish-language radio voices. That’s six-plus decades of Dodgers moments in Los Angeles. Here are the 86-year-old Hall of Famer’s favorites. (The interview, conducted in Spanish, was edited for brevity and clarity.)
How to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the 2022 regular season:
Dodgers sign veteran reliever Hansel Robles to minor league deal
The Dodgers made a move to bolster the depth of their injury ravaged bullpen on Friday, signing veteran right-hander Hansel Robles to a minor league contract, a person familiar with the deal confirmed.
Robles, 31, was designated for assignment by Boston and released last Saturday after going 1-3 with a 5.84 ERA in 26 games for the Red Sox, striking out 21, walking 14 and giving up 25 hits — five of them homers —i n 24 2/3 innings for a 1.581 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched).
But the right-hander’s average four-seam fastball velocity of 96.0 mph was only a tick down from his 97.2-mph velocity in 2019, when he had a career-best season for the Angels, going 5-1 with a 2.48 ERA and 23 saves in 71 games, striking out 75 and walking 16 in 72 2/3 innings.
Robles, who has a 28-26 record and 4.11 ERA in eight big-league seasons, also features an 88.7-mph slider and a 90.2-mph changeup.
He is expected to report to triple-A Oklahoma City before being considered for a spot in the Dodgers’ bullpen, which is without the injured Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, Daniel Hudson, Tommy Kahnle, Victor Gonzalez and Danny Duffy.