Will Smith delivers the big blow as pen pitches shutout over final 4.2 innings

While the Dodgers haven’t exactly broken out against the Rockies like we all wanted, they are at least winning, including today with their depth starter. The offense got going early to get an early lead and it was enough in a 6-2 victory.

======

Despite yesterday’s victory, the offense has needed to get going for the team, and Ryan Feltner started decently against them for the Rockies by allowing just a single in the 1st. The rest? Not so much.

Michael Conforto walked to start the 2nd, Tommy Edman reached on an infield single, and Max Muncy walked to load the bases. He did minimize the damage after Chris Taylor grounded into a double play, which killed the rally even though it made things 1-0.

That was frustrating, but Shohei Ohtani drew a walk to begin the 3rd and stole second with one out, Freddie Freeman walked, and Will Smith then yanked his second homer of the year to left for a three-run shot to make it 4-0. Finally, a big blow.

Will Smith for three! pic.twitter.com/KBE0ag1LQs

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 16, 2025

After getting the second out, things continued to unravel for Feltner, as Edman doubled, Muncy walked again, and Chris Taylor drilled a single to score a run and make it 5-0.

Chris Taylor is now second on the team in batting average, driving in another run to make it 5-0. pic.twitter.com/Cy4zfxYBLv

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 16, 2025

After a walk to Andy Pages to load the bases, Feltner’s day was done, but unfortunately Shohei couldn’t do anything with the rare RISP chance to really blow things open and the 3rd ended.

——

Coming off a disaster last time out, Landon Knack took the mound again tonight, and had to navigate around a bunch of trouble.

After a 1st where he allowed just a walk, a lead-off single and wild pitch put him in trouble with nobody out in the 2nd. A groundout advanced the runner to third, but he came up with a huge strikeout, and then was helped on defense by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to keep the zero on the board.

Mookie doesn’t make this play last year, tbh. Kept scoreless. Thank god for Freddie. pic.twitter.com/wxv5JXDM7I

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 16, 2025

More trouble found Knack in the 3rd, as he was greeted by a leadoff double, but he got bailed out by Chris Taylor on a liner to center, and then induced a pair of flyouts to escape again.

CT3 saves a run and maybe further trouble with a diving catch. pic.twitter.com/f8RJvJJ4Mm

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 16, 2025

The 4th saw even more traffic, as a walk started the inning, then a one-out single cornered the runners. On the verge of escaping without damage again after a flyout, he gave up a double to Jacob Stallings to cut the lead to 5-2.

Knack lasted just one batter in the 5th, getting an out and being removed to avoid facing the heart of the order a third time: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 65 Pitches.

Jack Dreyer entered in relief, and while he issued a walk to start his outing, he then struck out four of the next five batters he faced (all outs) to get the Dodgers through the 6th inning.

In the 7th, it was Kirby Yates getting into a surprising amount of trouble with a walk and then a two-out double, but he got his third strikeout of the inning to escape with the three-run lead intact. Alex Vesia took over in the 8th, and saw his lead-off walk erased by a double play to face the minimum in the inning.

——

As all this was going on, the three-run lead persisted because the bats weren’t able to add on. They saw a walk erased by a caught stealing in the 4th, wasted a double in the 5th, got just a HBP in the 6th, and couldn’t do anything with a HBP and single in the 7th.

They did get some help in the 8th at least. Andy Pages led things off with a bloop single, though a pair of groundouts followed that only advanced a runner to second. Thankfully, Freddie Freeman was around to clean things up a bit with a single to left to make it 6-2.