The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 9-4 to the Boston Red Sox, dropping the first game of the series to a red-hot squad.
The Dodgers were always underdogs on Friday night since it was a bullpen game, given how LA protects its arms.
Luckily, the bullpen was not too taxed thanks to Cole Irvin, a minor league arm who saved the Dodgers six innings of pitching and 100 pitches.
He looked dominant through his first time around the order, getting soft contact and outs on a regular basis.
However, that changed during his second time through the order, when the Red Sox were able to beat up Irvin with hits and walks, including a home run.
The Dodgers were up 4-3 through five innings, looking on pace for a possible shock win, but the seventh inning was essentially the end of the game as Irvin gave up five runs, blowing the game wide open.
There was only one pitcher that followed Irvin — Evan Phillips, who got two outs on five pitches.
In the end, he did his job by eating innings and protecting the bullpen from further wear. Going forward, the Dodgers will lean on Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get through at least six innings, potentially more, to get their arms some rest and back on track.
Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman carry the offense
Offensively, there wasn’t much from the Dodgers, but enough when they deploy their best arms.
Freeman went 3-for-4, with an RBI, continuing to show how elite he is in terms of contact hitting. He is up to .305, and his OPS is at .870.
On the other end, Ohtani went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, including his two-run blast. He also doubled, looking good at the plate after getting some rest on Thursday.
The Dodgers will play the second game of the series at 6:10 p.m. PST, and they have the best possible pitcher to bounce back on the mound in Yamamoto.
