The Houston Astros handed the Los Angeles Dodgers an 18-1 loss on July 5, the worst in Dodger Stadium history. Jose Altuve and Victor Caratini led the rout.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
There are bad losses, and then there's what happened at Chavez Ravine on Friday night. The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't just lose to the Houston Astros; they were systematically dismantled in an 18-1 humiliation, marking the single worst loss in the 63-year history of Dodger Stadium. The air was thick with boos, the scoreboard looked like a typo, and for one night, the best team in the National League looked utterly lost.
The Astros erupted for 10 runs in the sixth inning alone, turning a bad night into a historically awful one.
It's hard to pinpoint where it all went wrong, because so much did. Starter Ben Casparius was shaky from the start, but the game truly spiraled out of control in a nightmarish sixth inning. Houston sent 14 batters to the plate, scoring 10 runs in a seemingly endless barrage. The rally was punctuated by a Victor Caratini grand slam and a three-run homer from the ever-present villain, Jose Altuve, who finished the night with two homers and five RBIs. The Dodgers' offense was non-existent, managing only five hits. Will Smith's solo home run was the lone bright spot, a single flicker of light in an overwhelming darkness.
Friday's collapse wasn't just a random bad game; it was a symptom of a larger problem. The Dodgers' pitching depth is being tested like never before. With Evan Phillips out for the season after Tommy John surgery, and Kyle Hurt and River Ryan on the same long road to recovery, the bullpen is thin. Brusdar Graterol's potential September return feels a long way off. The recent release of RHP Luis García is another reminder of the constant shuffling the front office is doing to patch the holes. When your starter falters, as Casparius did, there are fewer reliable arms to stop the bleeding, and the Astros exposed that vulnerability in the most brutal way possible.
How does a team bounce back from a historic beatdown? They hand the ball to their ace. Tonight, that responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of Shohei Ohtani. In a marquee matchup, Ohtani (2.25 ERA) will face Astros ace Framber Valdez (9-4, 2.73 ERA). Despite the lopsided score Friday, these are still two of the best teams in baseball, both leading their divisions with identical 8-2 records over their last 10 games. The Dodgers need more than just a win; they need a dominant performance from Ohtani to wash away the bitter taste of Friday's disaster and prove it was an aberration, not the new normal.
One game, no matter how catastrophic, doesn't define a 162-game season. But this one stings. It exposed weaknesses and left a dark mark on the franchise's history books. Now, the Dodgers (56-33) have a chance to respond immediately. The beauty of baseball is that redemption is always just one day away, and tonight, the team and the entire fanbase will be looking to their $700 million man to be the hero they desperately need.
