The Los Angeles Dodgers put on a power display Friday night, crushing three home runs in a dominant 6-0 shutout of the Angels. It was their third straight win, and the energy in the dugout was as electric as the swings at the plate.
Rookie Andy Pages got things started in the top of the fourth inning, jumping on a 3-0 fastball from Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz and sending it deep for a three-run homer. Not to be outdone, Max Muncy followed immediately after, punishing an 0-2 mistake that caught too much of the plate with a solo blast to right field. Back-to-back homers put the Dodgers in control and sparked a celebration that has become a fan favorite.
When Pages returned to the dugout, teammate Teoscar Hernández greeted him with a shower of sunflower seeds—a tradition Hernández has made his own since joining the Dodgers three years ago. But when Hernández stepped up and launched a two-run homer of his own in the sixth inning, snapping a month-long drought, it was Pages’ turn to return the favor. He grabbed a bag of seeds and tossed them in Hernández’s face as he came off the field.
"He's going to have my job when I'm not here," Hernández joked about Pages' seed-throwing form. "So it is getting better."
The lighthearted moment was a welcome lift after a tough day for the Dodgers (27-18). Before the game, they placed scheduled starter Blake Snell on the injured list with loose bodies in his elbow that could require surgery. Snell’s injury is the third to hit a star pitcher in the last month, following Edwin Díaz and Tyler Glasnow, leaving the rotation thin as the team works to climb out of a month-long slump.
"It seems like every year we go through it," manager Dave Roberts said of the pitching injuries. "What I have learned is, we get through it."
The easiest path forward? More nights like Friday. The Dodgers’ offense erupted for six runs—matching a mark they’ve only hit five times in their last 23 games—while holding the Angels to just two hits. With the bats heating up and the clubhouse chemistry on full display, Los Angeles is finding its rhythm at the perfect time.