LOS ANGELES, CA — Wednesday night’s pitching matchup would be Dodgers’ Blake Snell, 4-4, 2.79 ERA vs. Phillies Jesús Luzardo, Lima, Peru, 14-6, 4.03 ERA. All three Philadelphia starters in this three-game series have been Latino, with a combined record of 39-17 while three Dodger starters have a combined record of 11-8. Clayton Kershaw (10-2) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8) were not a part of this group.
The Dodgers have one of the best rotations in baseball. Their low total of wins is indicative of an unreliable bullpen, as starters only average six innings a game. Obviously, the Phillies have a more reliable pen, and that is why their starters have much better records than the Dodgers’ starters.
Freddie Freeman got things going in the bottom of the second inning with a lead-off 419-foot solo home run to dead center field.
Then, after a single by Miguel Rojas, Los Teques, Venezuela, Andy Pages, Havana, Cuba, executed a perfect hit and run to send Rojas to third. Something old school that has been missing from the Dodgers for quite a while. Rojas would score on a sharp single by Ben Rortvedt, to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
Two innings later, Pages walked, stole second base, went to third when Luzardo threw a pickoff attempt into center field, and scored on a sharp single by Kiki Hernández, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Despite allowing four earned runs, Jesús Luzardo completed seven innings against the Dodgers Wednesday night, helping Philadelphia’s bullpen – Image Credit: Simon Lindenblatt/Latino Sports
The Dodgers couldn’t have asked for more from Snell tonight. He was at 107 pitches with two outs and just walked his first two batters of the game when Dave Roberts came out to remove him, and after a brief chat with Snell, went back in the dugout. Snell proceeded to strike out Otto Kemp, ending the inning. Snell would leave with a three-run lead and a line of 7 innings pitched, two hits, zero runs, two walks, and a season high 12 strikeouts.
He threw 112 pitches, 69 for strikes. He dominated with outstanding command and control, with his best out pitch being his sharp breaking curveball.
Of course, Shohei Ohtani made his presence in this game when he led off the bottom of the eighth inning with his fifty-first home run—a 408-foot bomb into the right field Pavilion—his 51st of 2025. That would end the night for 2023 NL LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher of the Year Luzardo, who also went seven innings and threw 106 pitches, 70 for strikes.
The Dodgers would add one more run on a sacrifice fly ball by Tommy Edman, scoring 2024 NL LatinoMVP runner-up Teoscar Hernández, of Cotui, Dominican Republic.
Teoscar Hernández went 0-3 in Wednesday’s win vs. the Phillies with a walk and run scored – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
With all that Snell and the position players did, the most joy for the fans and the Dodger club was the two innings of zero runs by relief pitchers, Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott, as LA takes game three 5-0 and remains one game ahead of the Padres, who beat the Mets Wednesday, 7-4.
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