The 9-Run First Inning That Tells You Everything About the Angels' Season of Pain

Alright, Emerald City, can we just talk about what went down in LA last night? You think *we* get frustrated sometimes? Hold my beer. The Dodgers just took a wrecking ball to the Angels, dropping NINE runs on them in the FIRST INNING. NINE! And get this, the Dodgers won the World Series last season but lost all six games to these very same Angels, who finished last in the American League West. Now, the tables have flipped so hard it's giving me whiplash, and LA's "other" team is staring down a brutal 6-0 season sweep. Ouch.

Ohtani's Vengeance Tour Is Crushing His Old Club

Seriously, if you thought Shohei Ohtani leaving the Angels was rough, watching him play against them has to be pure torture for their fans. The guy absolutely hammered a two-run homer Saturday, putting the cap on that insane first inning. He's now got six dingers in just 15 career games against his old squad, where he picked up two American League MVP awards between 2018 and 2023. Talk about adding insult to injury! The Dodgers, man, they're just on another level right now. They've got the second-best record in the big leagues at 42-23, only trailing the Atlanta Braves who are 44-21. Meanwhile, the Angels are tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball, sitting at a dismal 24-41 with the Colorado Rockies. It's a tale of two cities, or rather, two LA teams, and it's not even close.

Angels' Pitching Is a Total Mess, What's Next?

You gotta feel for Angels fans, even if they're not our Mariners. Their Saturday night was a horror show from the jump. Starter Jack Kochanowicz faced eight batters and got ONE out, giving up seven runs, six earned. Their shortstop, Zach Neto, even botched a throw that let two runs score early. Oof. And while their bullpen, including rookie Samy Natera Jr. making his Major League debut, actually held the Dodgers scoreless after that disastrous first, the damage was already done. Looking to Sunday's finale, the Angels are trotting out their "best" starter, Jose Soriano, who's got a 6-4 record and a 2.72 ERA. But dig into that a bit: he started the season red hot with five wins in five starts and a ridiculous 0.28 ERA. Since then? He's 1-3 with a 5.13 ERA and has walked 22 guys in 33 1/3 innings. Their manager, Kurt Suzuki, says Soriano's "stuff is there" and it's about "execution," but you gotta wonder how much more of this they can take. Oh, and they also lost Jorge Soler to the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury, though Nolan Schanuel did return from an ankle injury, going 0-for-3. Just a brutal night all around. So, for Sunday's final game, the Dodgers are sending out Emmet Sheehan, who's 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He actually got lit up by the Angels once before, giving up five runs in five innings back in August 2025. But that was then, this is now, and these Dodgers are rolling. Their starters even had a 19 2/3-inning scoreless streak going until Saturday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto bouncing back after a first-inning run to retire 22 straight batters. Sheehan knows the pressure is on, saying he learns "watching guys [in this rotation] pitch" and getting "an idea of what works and what doesn't." Can the Angels somehow salvage one win to avoid the sweep, or will the Dodgers just keep piling on the pain? You know which way I'm leaning, and it ain't looking good for the Halos. Catch the action this afternoon to see if the Angels can find *any* relief, or if the Dodgers just keep piling on the pain.

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