Rangers 4, Dodgers 3: Roki Sasaki continues to make progress, but Kirby Yates surrenders walk-off to snap winning streak

Chad Moriyama 04/19/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

Following a rather remarkable pitchers’ duel last time out, the Dodgers and Rangers put on a lesser version of one today as well. Back-to-back big half-innings provided all the runs in the game until the very end, but with the Dodgers clinging on to a one-run lead in the 9th, Kirby Yates gave up a walk-off homer to Adolis Garcia for a 4-3 loss.

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Early on, there was some (a lot) of concern with Roki Sasaki, who came out throwing 92-93 mph with the fastball. Fortunately, he managed to get away with it with just 17 pitches through two innings, thanks in large part to Andy Pages bringing back a Corey Seager homer.

The 3rd … well, that escalated quickly, as a lead-off walk and a Kyle Higashioka homer off a 94 mph fastball gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

On the other side was old friend Nathan Eovaldi, who was carving the Dodgers through three innings, surrendering just a single over that span. However, as soon as they went down, they came back in the 4th with a Mookie Betts walk and Freddie Freeman homer to tie things up at 2-2.

Later in the inning, Michael Conforto singled with one out, and with two outs he got to second after an odd play where he got hit with a pickoff attempt due to miscommunication from the Rangers.

That immediately proved important, as Max Muncy battled back in the count and completed the at-bat by hitting a ground-rule double to score a run and give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

Eovaldi did settle back into his groove immediately, getting clean frames in the 5th and 6th to end his outing.

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Speaking of settling in, getting back to Roki, who seemed to get better as the game wore on. Now with a lead, he got a clean 4th, allowed just a single in the 5th, and faced the minimum in the 6th after a walk was erased by a double play.

Hard not to be encouraged despite the weird velocity fluctuations that ranged from 92 mph to 97 mph: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 78 Pitches.

Taking over for him was Jack Dreyer in the 7th, who once again cruised through a 12-pitch clean frame. Making his 2025 debut in the 8th was Evan Phillips, who notched a pair of strikeouts to start and then gave up a single after getting ahead 0-2.

That brought up Corey Seager and thus brought in Alex Vesia, who responded with a strikeout.

They wouldn’t get much help in the form of insurance.

The Dodgers missed a chance to add on against the Rangers pen in the 7th, as a lead-off walk by Will Smith was picked off trying to steal second, and Enrique Hernandez immediately followed with a double that probably would’ve scored him and was then stranded there.

They then did nothing in the 8th and 9th … man, rough showing on that end.

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So to close things out with a one-run lead was Kirby Yates, and to lead things off was Josh Smith barely missing a tying homer but then poking a double on the next pitch.

Next up was Adolis, who obliterated a fastball to left for a walk-off two-run shot.

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Umpire had feelings.

Max Muncy, defensive specialist.

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That snaps a four-game win streak.

NL WestRecordGB
Padres15-5*–
Dodgers15-71
Giants13-7*2
Diamondbacks12-93.5

The series final will be tomorrow on Easter Sunday (4/20, lmao) and at somehow even earlier at 8:35 AM HT/11:35 AM PT/2:35 PM ET. Tyler Glasnow will face off against Tyler Mahle.

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