Emmet Sheehan’s failure to complete the second inning Sunday resulted in an unexpected bullpen game for the Dodgers, who were forced to use six relievers in a 13-5 loss to the Angels.
Talk about an unpleasant surprise.
Outside of a game last season in which he was used as an opener, the start was the shortest in the career of the 26-year-old Sheehan.
Pitching against the worst team in baseball, Sheehan lasted only 1 ⅓ innings.
Sheehan’s implosion came after spectacular performances by Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first two games of the series.
Sasaki pitched seven scoreless innings Friday. Yamamoto held the Angels to one run over eight innings Saturday.
There were no such heroics for Sheehan.
With one out in the second inning, he gave up a single to Jo Adell, which was followed by walks to Nick Madrigal and Jose Siri. A two-run single by Sebastian Rivero resulted in Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removing Sheehan, who had thrown 36 pitches in the inning, including 15 to Madrigal.
Blake Treinen gave up two runs in the fifth inning, and Alex Vesia was charged with two in the sixth to put the Dodgers at a 6-1 deficit.
But for however briefly, the Dodgers made a game of it, as back-to-back homers by Dalton Rushing and Ryan Ward in the bottom of the sixth reduced the deficit to 6-5.
The Angels blew open the game in the next inning.
Jonathan Hernandez had a nightmare of a seventh inning, giving up six runs on a walk and five hits, including home runs by Adell and Zach Neto.
What it means
The Dodgers have won six of their last seven series, and they split the other. They are 16-6 over that span.
On May 13, they trailed the Padres by a half-game, but they now have a commanding lead over the Padres and Diamondbacks in the National League West.
Who’s hot
Dalton Rushing matched his career high in hits with a 4-for-4 performance that included a three-run home run and double.
Rushing is now 7-for-14 in his last four games.
Freddie Freeman also maintained his steady form.
In the three games against the Angels, Freeman was 5-for-10, including 2-for-5 in the series finale.
Freeman’s third-inning single contributed to the Dodgers’ first run, as it advanced Shohei Ohtani to third base and positioned the two-way player to score on a dribbler by Kyle Tucker.
Freeman has hit well over the last couple of weeks, batting .362 over his last 12 games.
Who’s not
Will Smith didn’t make his anticipated return to the lineup after being held out Saturday night with a stiff neck. Rushing started at catcher for the second consecutive game.
Up next
The Dodgers have a day off Monday. They resume play Tuesday in Pittsburgh, where left-hander Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.74 ERA) will make his third start for LA against Paul Skenes (6-5, 3.09) of the Pirates.
