Big League Weekend Game 1 Recap: Dodgers Power Past Rangers
With half the team losing Friday afternoon on a walk-off single to the Oakland Athletics, the other half of the Los Angeles Dodgers faced the Texas Rangers at the Alamodome in the first game of Big League Weekend.
The Dodgers teed-off on Rangers starter Anthony Bass from the first pitch. After a single by Joc Pederson and double by Darwin Barney, Yasiel Puig hit a three-run home run to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. Just moments later, with one out, Matt Carson hit another three-run home run to make it a 6-0 lead for the Dodgers.
Shortly after that, Pederson came up for his second at-bat of the inning with one on and two outs and made it 8-0 with a home run of his own. After facing only 11 batters and allowing eight runs, Bass was pulled with two outs in the first inning for right-hander Roman Mendez, who finally put an end to the top half of the first inning.
Dodgers starter Erik Bedard began the inning in similar fashion to Bass, giving up three singles to start his night before getting a strikeout to settle into the game. He gave up runs on a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk before getting out of the inning with the bases still loaded.
The top of the second inning went entirely different than the top of the first, as Yasmani Grandal, Justin Turner and Carson were all retired in order by Mendez. Right-hander Jeremy Kehrt came in for Bedard in the bottom of the second and quickly retired the first two batters.
Kehrt overcame a triple by Elvis Andrus that was misplayed by Pederson by striking out Carlos Peguero to end the inning. Kiké Hernandez led off the third inning with a home run against Mendez, who was replaced by right-hander Keone Kela one batter later.
Kehrt struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the third, but after allowing a single to Rougned Odor to keep the inning alive, the 29-year-old gave up a two-run shot to Corporan that cut the Dodgers’ lead to 9-4.
Puig, Grandal and Adrian Gonzalez were retired in order in the top of the fourth. While the Dodgers had collected plenty of hits, Gonzalez and Grandal were a combined 0-for-5 to that point.
CONTINUE READING: Dodgers Hit Five Home Runs In Win Over Rangers
