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Dodgers put up nine in the first, then rode Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s shutdown stretch to beat Angels 9-2
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Sports/The Apex Times/Jun 7, 4:31 AM EDT

Dodgers put up nine in the first, then rode Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s shutdown stretch to beat Angels 9-2

LA’s biggest early inning in years set the table for another long outing from its ace as the Freeway Series swung hard toward the NL West leaders.

By The Apex Times Newsroom3 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The Dodgers scored nine runs in the bottom of the first inning and then essentially stopped the game from moving forward, defeating the Angels 9-2 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Shohei Ohtani’s two-run homer capped the nine-run frame, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto took it from there, retiring 22 consecutive batters over eight dominant innings to keep the Angels from building any sustained threat.

Los Angeles’ first-inning barrage came after the Angels scored once in the top half on an Oswald Peraza RBI triple. The Dodgers answered with a sequence that stretched hits, patience, and a defensive breakdown. Andy Pages launched a two-run homer into the Dodgers’ bullpen to put LA ahead, and the inning continued with Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts singling back-to-back and Max Muncy reaching after a pitch that Kochanowicz could not control.

Ryan Ward followed with a two-run double to make it 4-1, and then the rally widened again when Dalton Rushing walked and Zach Neto’s throwing error on a grounder to short allowed additional runs to score. By the time Ohtani returned to the batter’s box, the Dodgers had already turned a one-run deficit into a 7-1 lead, and his two-run homer extended it to 9-1. After that, manager Dave Roberts said the message was simple: the early swing of momentum had been neutralized by the Dodgers’ answer in the first.

Yamamoto’s workload became the second half of the story. He allowed two hits, struck out four, and walked none, throwing 93 pitches with 69 for strikes as he lowered his ERA to 2.68. After the Angels’ run in the first, he did not allow another run on his way through eight innings, and CBS/AP noted it was the first time an opponent scored against LA starting pitching in 19 2/3 innings.

The Dodgers did not add much more offensively after the initial outburst, but the cushion meant they did not have to press. The Angels did reach again in the ninth, with Neto homering off Jack Dreyer, trimming the deficit to 9-2. Even with the late spark, it never resembled a realistic comeback once Yamamoto had flipped the game into a one-sided rhythm.

The win kept the rivalry firmly in LA’s favor. CBS/AP reported the Dodgers have outscored the Angels 41-5 while winning all five meetings so far, and they entered the weekend as NL West leaders who have won 18 of their last 23 games overall. With LA carrying a 41-23 record and first place in the NL West, the Dodgers’ ability to turn a fast lead into an innings-spanning pitching performance remains a key part of how they plan to separate themselves from the rest of the division.

Next comes the series finale, with the Angels sending Jose Soriano and the Dodgers countering with Emmet Sheehan, according to CBS/AP. If LA can keep the bullpen rested after a starter’s clean eight, it will provide a more controlled path through whatever comes after this weekend, especially against opponents that are less vulnerable than the Angels were in the first inning.

Why It Matters

  • A nine-run first inning is the kind of early separation that can compress a pitching staff’s workload in a long season, especially when paired with a shutdown starter outing.
  • Yamamoto’s ability to turn a shaky start into a long, scoreless stretch reinforces his role as an innings anchor, a quality the Dodgers lean on when they want to stay aggressive in the lineup.
  • The Freeway Series outcome further widens LA’s dominance over the Angels, strengthening the Dodgers’ confidence against a familiar opponent.
  • With LA holding first place in the NL West, every division weekend matters, and this performance shows how quickly the Dodgers can swing the standings through run differential.
  • The series finale matchup next will matter less because of urgency and more because it sets up how much rest LA can carry into the following stretch of the schedule.

Sources

Key Facts

  • The Dodgers defeated the Angels 9-2 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
  • Los Angeles scored nine runs in the bottom of the first inning, its biggest first inning in five years for the franchise.
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired 22 consecutive batters over eight innings, allowing two hits, four strikeouts, and zero walks.
  • Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run to cap the nine-run first, and Andy Pages also homered in the inning.
  • The Dodgers’ nine-run first included a mix of hits and baserunning pressure that ended with Zach Neto’s throwing error and additional run-scoring plays.
  • The Angels scored their two runs late, with Neto homering in the ninth.
  • LA entered the game among NL West leaders with a 41-23 record and first place in the division.