LOS ANGELES — Awk-ward.
Bad enough the Angels had to run into their old friend when they’re not looking their best – no one wants to be seen in public with a 30-45 record. But they had to watch their old friend remind them he has moved on.
Facing his former team for the first time, Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run and reached base four times. But Taylor Ward came through with an RBI single in the 10th inning to give Ohtani’s former team a 3-2 victory over his current team on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The win snapped the Angels’ 10-game losing streak to the Dodgers, the longest win streak by either team in Freeway Series history.
Along the way, though, the Angels lost starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval. He came out of the game in the third inning with left forearm tightness.
Sandoval had just delivered ball four to Ohtani when he signaled to the Angels’ dugout that something was wrong, calling vigorously for a trainer.
Two innings later, Ohtani broke a scoreless tie when he launched a 1-and-1 fastball from lefty reliever Matt Moore dip into the night. Ohtani’s 22nd home run of the season traveled 455 feet to straightaway center field.
That didn’t even make it his longest home run of the week – Ohtani crushed a 471-footer in Colorado. That was just one of five home runs in his past six games. Ohtani hit two last Sunday against the Kansas City Royals and has remained hot since moving into the leadoff spot to replace Mookie Betts. In five games there, Ohtani is 8 for 18 with three home runs, nine RBIs, a double, five walks and seven runs scored.
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Dodgers starter Landon Knack allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings. But Ryan Yarbrough gave the lead back in the sixth.
The reliever hit three Angels batters in the inning, leading to two runs. Yohan Ramirez hit another in the eighth inning, tying the Angels’ franchise record for hit batters in one game (four).
The score stayed tied, 2-2, into extra innings. The Angels cashed in their free runner with a two-out, two-strike single through the left side by Ward against Angels closer Evan Phillips.
In the bottom of the 10th, Angels closer Carlos Estevez stranded the Dodgers’ free runner, getting Jason Heyward on a ground out that advanced the runner to third then striking out Kiké Hernandez and Gavin Lux. Estevez has now retired the last 24 batters he has faced.
More to come on this story.