Red Sox Play Like Deadline Buyers While Dodgers Stumble in Series Opener

One team arrived at Dodger Stadium looking like it had something to prove.

The other looked like it was hoping a bullpen game would quietly take care of itself.

The Boston Red Sox entered Friday night's series opener having won eight of their previous 12 games and sitting squarely in the middle of a crowded American League Wild Card race. Every game matters this time of year when October remains a realistic destination, and Boston played with that kind of urgency.

The Dodgers, owners of the best record in the National League and winners of every series since the All-Star break, looked like a club that simply had an off night. Unfortunately for them, there were enough little mistakes sprinkled throughout the evening to turn an otherwise manageable game into a 9-4 loss.

Manager Dave Roberts opted for the always-adventurous bullpen game, hoping to give his relief corps a reset before what promises to be a demanding stretch of the schedule.

Cole Irvin drew the unenviable assignment.

Recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day, the veteran left-hander was asked to absorb as many innings as possible, and in that regard he accomplished exactly what the Dodgers needed. Irvin worked six innings and threw 102 pitches, sparing a bullpen that has carried a heavy workload in recent weeks.

The box score credits him with six earned runs.

The game itself tells a more complete story.

Los Angeles committed two errors, failed to execute routine defensive plays, struggled covering bases late in the game and repeatedly missed opportunities to build on its brief momentum. Irvin certainly wasn't flawless, but hanging the entire loss on the pitcher who volunteered to eat six innings feels a bit like blaming the fire extinguisher for arriving late after the smoke alarm.

Boston gladly accepted the invitations.

After falling behind 4-3 in the fifth on Shohei Ohtani's two-run homer, the Red Sox answered immediately. Ceddanne Rafaela erased the Dodgers' lead with a two-run blast in the seventh before Boston poured five runs across the plate, turning a one-run game into a comfortable victory.

Shohei Ohtani provided the biggest offensive highlight for Los Angeles, finishing 2-for-5 with his 24th home run after returning from a scheduled day of rest for his sore left knee. Freddie Freeman continued one of the quietest hot streaks in baseball, collecting three hits and extending his hitting streak to 10 games.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, there wasn't much offense beyond those two familiar names.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, continue looking like a club preparing to buy rather than sell before Monday's trade deadline. Their recent surge has pushed them firmly into the American League postseason conversation, and they played Friday night with the intensity of a team determined to strengthen its position rather than protect it.

The Dodgers have earned enough equity over the past two weeks that one sloppy night doesn't suddenly rewrite the story of their season. They entered the series having won four consecutive series since the All-Star break and still sit comfortably atop the National League standings.

Even so, Friday served as a reminder that talent alone rarely cleans up defensive mistakes.

Los Angeles will hand the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday night looking to even the series before the trade deadline arrives on Monday. Whether the Dodgers decide to supplement the roster remains one of baseball's biggest unanswered questions.

For one night, though, the biggest addition Boston made wasn't at the deadline.

It was adding another win to a postseason chase that's becoming more convincing by the day.