9 Runs in the First Inning and Nobody in Baseball Is Ready For How Bad the Angels Are

Alright, Emerald City, can we just take a minute? While our M's just shut out the Tigers 4-0 , shoutout to the boys for that W! , there's a dumpster fire raging down in Southern California that you NEED to hear about. We're talking 9 runs in the FIRST INNING, people! The Los Angeles Angels are in full-blown meltdown mode, and the Dodgers are about to put them out of their misery with a season sweep that nobody saw coming after last year. This isn't just a loss, it's an absolute evisceration.

Shohei Ohtani Is Owning His Old Team, No Sympathy Allowed

Okay, so you think the Dodgers were feeling bad after dropping a cool nine runs on the Angels in the opening frame Saturday? Think again! They're still eyeing a straight-up 6-0 season sweep on Sunday, which would be sweet, sweet revenge for last season. Remember, the Dodgers were back-to-back World Series champs, but somehow couldn't beat the Angels once. Now, they're the second-best team in the league at 42-23, while the Angels are tied for the worst record in MLB at a pathetic 24-41. And guess who's leading the charge? Shohei Ohtani, baby! He hammered a two-run bomb on Saturday that sealed those nine runs, adding to his now six homers in just 15 career games against his former squad. The guy won two American League MVP awards for the Angels from 2018-2023, and now he's just a nightmare for them, over and over again.

The Angels' Pitching Is a Disaster, And It's Getting Worse

If you thought Saturday’s nine-run first inning was bad, get this: Angels righty Jack Kochanowicz faced EIGHT batters and got ONE out, giving up seven runs, six of them earned. Plus, a throwing error from shortstop Zach Neto gifted two early runs. Even their bullpen, after Brent Suter gave up the final two runs of that disastrous inning, managed to hold the Dodgers scoreless for the rest of the game with the help of Samy Natera Jr. making his Major League debut. But the real kicker for Sunday's game? Jose Soriano, their "best starter" at 6-4 with a 2.72 ERA, is set to pitch. This dude started the season 5-0 with a microscopic 0.28 ERA, but over his last six starts, he's a dismal 1-3 with a 5.13 ERA, walking 22 batters in just 33 1/3 innings. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki knows it, saying, "I mean the stuff is there right? If the stuff is there, I think it's execution. I think when he gets ahead in the count, he's got to execute a little better, put guys away. I believe he's not far off. You're as far off as you think you are." They're also without Jorge Soler, who hit the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury, though Nolan Schanuel did come back from an ankle injury, going 0-for-3. Yikes.

So, as the Dodgers roll out right-hander Emmet Sheehan (3-2, 4.50 ERA) on Sunday, he's got some big shoes to fill. Their starters' 19 2/3-inning scoreless streak just ended Saturday, only for Yoshinobu Yamamoto to then retire 22 straight batters after giving up one early run. Sheehan gave up five runs in five innings in his only previous start against the Angels in August 2025, so we'll see if he's learned from watching these guys. As he said, "There are so many opportunities to learn watching guys (in this rotation) pitch. It's great to see guys go out there and have success against certain teams you'll be pitching to to get an idea of what works and what doesn't. It's been awesome to be a part of it." If the Dodgers get this sweep, it’s a statement, a final nail in the coffin for the Angels’ rough season, and a clear sign that the balance of power in SoCal is firmly tilted. We'll be watching to see if Soriano can somehow turn it around or if the Angels continue their descent into the MLB cellar.

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.