The Dodgers fought back from a 6-1 deficit to trail by one in the sixth inning. Dalton Rushing hit a three-run homer. Ryan Ward followed with a solo shot. For one half-inning, this was a game. Then Jordan Hernandez took the mound in the seventh and it was not.

Hernandez walked Schanuel . Adell homered right after. Win probability swung 19.1 points in LAA’s favor in a single at-bat. The Angels scored 6 runs in the seventh inning alone. Final score 13-5.

Worth Remembering

Dalton Rushing. Four hits, a three-run homer, and the only reason this game had a pulse in the sixth. His homer with Call and Tucker on base cut the deficit to two and briefly made Dodger Stadium loud. Ward’s solo shot immediately after made it 5-6 one batter before Rojas popped out to end the inning. Rushing’s performance deserves acknowledgment in a game that otherwise does not have much to recommend it.

Worth Forgetting

Second inning, nobody out, Call on second and Rushing on first. Ryan Ward grounded into a double play. WPA -.119, the single biggest negative swing of the game for the Dodgers offensively. The Angels had already scored twice. The Dodgers had the lineup in position to answer. Ward hit it straight to Peraza and the inning was over before it started. The game was still within reach at that point. That play made it harder than it needed to be.

Where It All Went Wrong

Jordan Hernandez, seventh inning. The Dodgers trailed 6-5 after the Rushing and Ward homers. One run down, six outs to play with, the lineup due up. Hernandez walked Schanuel after getting the first out. Jo Adell homered to left center in the next at-bat, WPA +.191. Hernandez then allowed singles to Madrigal and Siri, a run-scoring single to Rivero, and a two-run homer to Neto before Dreyer came on to end it. Six runs. Three of them on fly balls. The walk to Schanuel started the chain. It always starts with a walk.

Hernandez allowed 6 earned runs in 1.2 innings on the day. His ERA now sits at 6.52.

Up Next

The Dodgers open a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Tuesday June 9 at 3:40 PM PST. Probable starters TBD for both sides.