Dustin May struggles as Dodgers fall to Angels

LOS ANGELES –  The Freeway Series began Rivalry Weekend across Major League Baseball as the Angels visited the Dodgers, securing a 6-2 victory on Friday night at Dodger Stadium in front of 46,273 fans.

Right-hander Dustin May has not performed up to the expectations of the Dodgers since returning from injury. In his last five games, he has allowed 20 earned runs over 27 innings pitched. On Friday night, in his eighth start of the season, May gave up four earned runs in five innings, while walking two batters and striking out eight, using a total of 95 pitches.

"I definitely wish I could contribute a little bit better than I am contributing right now," May said.

May (1-4, 4.43 ERA) did not perform at his best on the mound against the Angels, leading Dave Roberts to reconsider the possibility of sending him down to Oklahoma City to regain some momentum in the early part of the season. May's command of his pitches was off, as Yoan Moncada hit a 94 mph sinker for a home run over the right field wall in the first inning, marking Moncada's third home run of the season.

In the fourth inning, May struggled, loading the bases as Zach Neto hit a two-run double to left field, bringing in the fourth run of the game. May then left the game after completing the fifth inning.

After securing the final spot in the rotation during the last week of spring training, May pitched five scoreless innings in his first start of the season against the Atlanta Braves. However, things took a downturn for him afterward. In his start in Chicago, he allowed seven earned runs over five innings, marking it as his worst outing of the season.

May, 27, has faced significant injury challenges over the past few seasons, including two Tommy John surgeries and a severe esophageal tear in 2023 that required emergency surgery. The Dodgers are aware of May's injury history and are closely monitoring his innings to ensure he remains healthy throughout the season.

While May struggled against the Angels' lineup, right-hander Jack Kochanowicz had one of the best outings of his young career. He pitched 6 ⅔ innings, allowing only one earned run on five hits while recording five strikeouts. Kochanowicz was on fire on the mound against the best team in baseball. However, he ran into trouble late in his outing, walking four batters. Consequently, Angels manager Ron Washington decided to pull him from the game after he had thrown 104 pitches.

The first run for the Dodgers came from Max Muncy’s double to right field, which scored Will Smith. In the eighth inning, with the bases empty, Shohei Ohtani hit his MLB-leading 16th home run off right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn. Recently, Ohtani has been on a tear; this marks his fourth home run in the last three games and his ninth home run in May, along with his 19th RBI for the month. In April, Ohtani hit five home runs and recorded eight RBIs.

Roberts and the organization will face a tough decision as the roster will be shaken up with the return of certain players from the injured list. Teoscar Hernandez is set to start a rehab assignment with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Saturday, while Tommy Edman will be activated on Sunday. Deciding whether to keep Kim on the MLB roster could prove difficult. Since being called up and making his MLB debut on May 4th, Kim has reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances, recording seven hits and two walks. He is currently batting .452 with one home run and five RBIs.

Kim is a versatile player capable of playing both infield and outfield, much like Chris Taylor. However, will the Dodgers give Kim more opportunities to prove he deserves a spot on a big league roster? I certainly hope so. Kim brings a unique asset to the team: his speed on the base paths. He is currently 3-for-3 in stolen bases this season, a feat unmatched by any other player on the roster. Kim responded to being asked about the possibility of being sent back down to Triple-A once Hernandez and Edman are activated.

"I'm just going to play baseball," Kim said. "It's hard to speculate and hard to predict what's going to happen in the future."

The Dodgers tied a franchise record by hitting into five double plays, marking the 10th time this has occurred and the first since 2015. The offense struggled to find a rhythm as Kochanowicz effectively utilized his sinker for most of the game, resulting in the Dodgers managing only seven hits in total. Currently, the Dodgers hold a record of 29-16, which is the second-best in MLB, trailing the Detroit Tigers by one game.

The Dodgers will be adding another pitcher to their rotation on Saturday, as left-hander Clayton Kershaw makes his season debut, entering his 18th season. The Angels will respond with former Dodger left-hander Tyler Anderson, who has a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.58.