LOS ANGELES—Southern California product Michael Lorenzen pitched a season-high seven innings, rookie Wyatt Langford had two RBI singles, and the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3–1 on Thursday night to win a series at Dodger Stadium for the first time since 1999.
“Just a terrific job how they battled and played defense,” Texas Manager Bruce Bochy said.
Rangers reliever David Robertson struck out past most valuable players Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman in succession for the second straight night—becoming the only pitcher to do so this season—to preserve the two-run lead in the eighth inning.
“I just had to dig deep,” Robertson said. “We walked away with a series, which we haven’t had in a while.”
Texas took two of three from the National League West leaders after getting routed 15–2 in the opener Tuesday, when the Dodgers slugged five homers—including four in one inning.
But the Rangers’ pitching short-circuited the Los Angeles offense this time.
Betts, Ohtani—who homered in each of the first two games of the series—and Freeman were a combined 2 for 12 with three strikeouts.
“There’s always going to be stretches of ups and downs as a team and personally,” Ohtani said through a translator. “Obviously, when things aren’t going well, that’s when we put everything under a microscope. My approach has been the same, just being able to put up quality at-bats.”
Robertson said he got lucky retiring Ohtani again.
“I had the advantage,“ he said. ”He hasn’t faced me a lot.”
Lorenzen (4–3), a native of Anaheim, Calif., and a former two-way star at Fullerton High School and Cal State Fullerton, allowed one run and four hits. He struck out two and walked one. The right-hander has permitted two or fewer runs in a career-best six straight starts.
Kirby Yates, the Rangers’ 37-year-old closer, earned his 10th save after needing 26 pitches to get through the ninth.
“What a gutty effort,” Mr. Bochy said. “That’s impressive.”
The Dodgers didn’t score until rookie Andy Pages’ homer just inside the left-field foul pole in the seventh left them trailing 3–1.
The Dodgers had runners at the corners with nobody out in the eighth, the first time all night they had a man on base scoring position. But then Robertson fanned Betts, Ohtani and Freeman. The 39-year-old reliever got ahead 0–2 on all three, and each one went down swinging.
“It was just my turn to win a battle against them because they’ve been beating me up so bad,” Robertson said.
The Dodgers’ Michael Grove (4–3) took the loss in his first start since April 28, giving up two runs and three hits in one inning as the opener in a bullpen game.
The Rangers’ series win was just their second in Los Angeles in club history. Mr. Bochy, who formerly managed the National League West rival San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, improved to 109–109 at Dodger Stadium, the most wins by an opposing manager in stadium history.
Texas took a 2–0 lead in the first on Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI groundout and Langford’s two-out RBI single. Langford added another run-scoring single in the third.
Trainer’s Room
Rangers: Shortstop Corey Seager was scratched to preserve him for a three-game series against the American League West-leading Seattle Mariners. He homered Wednesday after missing four straight games with a hamstring issue.Up Next
Rangers: Left-hander Andrew Heaney (2–7, 4.06 earned-run average) is set to start Friday’s series opener at Seattle.Dodgers: Right-hander Gavin Stone (7–2, 2.93) is the scheduled starter for Friday’s interleague series opener against visiting Kansas City.
