Dodgers land on the wrong side of a historic mark not seen since 1961, analysis inside.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ bold decision to rearrange the batting order for their matchup with the Anaheim Angels backfired in a 13-5 loss at Chavez Ravine, highlighting the game’s surprising storyline: the Angels’ bottom of the order carried the offense while the Dodgers’ pitching faltered. The standout historic mark came from the Angels’ 6-7-8-9 hitters, who began the game with an extraordinary 10-for-10 start and finished 13-for-15, including an 11-for-11 opening stretch. This performance yielded an .867 team batting average for the bottom four spots—the highest for 6-9 in a game since at least 1900, according to baseball analysts.

On the Angels’ side, Sebastián Rivero delivered the day’s most dramatic performance, collecting five hits and driving in six runs, with the bottom-order surge fueling the big offensive outburst. Jo Adell, Nick Madrigal, Jose Siri, and Rivero themselves contributed notable multi-hit efforts, while Adell’s 433-foot homer highlighted the night’s power from the lower half of the lineup. For the Dodgers, catcher-producer Dalton Rushing led with four hits and three RBIs, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman contributed multi-hit afternoons, and Ryan Ward added a solo homer, but the lopsided result underscored the impact of the Angels’ bottom-up approach and the Dodgers’ pitching struggles.

Key takeaways:
– Angels’ bottom four hitters (6-9) set a historic tone: first 10-for-10 start to a game, finishing 13-for-15 overall.
– Rivero’s five-hit, six-RBI performance anchored Anaheim’s attack, with significant contributions from Adell, Madrigal, and Siri.
– Dodgers’ offensive output was uneven, with Rushing and Ohtani producing, but the team could not overcome pitching challenges in the loss.