Mark Vientos slugs two-run homer in loss to Braves

Pages said the pitch hit him on the outside of his left hand, just below his pinkie finger. If he needs to miss some time, the Dodgers could call up Alek Thomas to share time with Tommy Edman in center. Top prospect Josue DePaula is strictly a corner outfielder and probably wouldn’t be viewed as a potential option here.

Technically, it was a throwing error that ended the game, allowing Wyatt Langford to score from second on Duran’s infield single off Ben Joyce. Duran ended the night with no RBI or runs scored, but as has often been the case this season, he was the Rangers’ best position player. He’s batting .271/.327/.441 in 460 plate appearances.

Gore allowed just two hits and one walk before departing a scoreless game. He’s allowed a total of four runs in 23 innings this month, lowering his ERA to 4.26. He’s currently slated to face the White Sox next Wednesday, though he could get bumped to Friday against the Brewers.

MacKenzie Gore matched him, so Detmers remained 4-8 with a 3.62 ERA through 26 starts. We’re sure he’s looking forward to the Angels holding that win-loss record against him in arbitration. He’ll face the Phillies next week.

The Angels scored the automatic runner in the top of the 10th to make it a save situation. Joyce went on to retire the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the 10th, but he then gave up a game-tying double to Wyatt Langford. After an intentional walk of Brandon Nimmo (why?), Joyce gave up a hard shot down the third base line. Denzer Guzman made a nice grab, only to throw wildly to second base and allow the winning run to score. It was correctly ruled a single, but both runs ended up unearned. This shouldn’t hurt Joyce’s standing as the favorite for saves in the Halos’ pen.

Muncy turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead with his 26th homer of the season; a two-run shot off Bubba Chandler. It’s the third roundtripper in five games for Muncy, and the fifth he’s hit in the month of August.

Cruz — who was traded from the Dodgers to the Pirates for something called Tony Watson — tied the game at 4-4 with his 16th homer; a two-run shot against Kyle Hurt. The 27-year-old’s power production has been limited because of injury, but he’s been productive as seen in a .266/.356/.490 slash.

Edman ended the game with an RBI single off Gregory Soto to give the Dodgers their 77th win of the 2026 campaign. The 31-year-old has appeared in just 52 games this year, but he’s been solid — if unspectacular — in those contests with a slash of .274/.342/.411 with four homers in 175 at-bats. He also gets to be the hero of Friday’s game, which seems pretty fun.

Chandler gave up his four runs on a two-run homer by Max Muncy in the first, and a two-run single by Mookie Betts two frames later. There were no other scoring plays, but damage done in a mediocre — at best — outing for the 23-year-old. The right-hander had pitched exceptionally well in August prior to Friday with a 2.16 ERA, but the Dodgers didn’t have much trouble against him. A chance to get back on track comes next week in San Diego against the Padres.

Yamamoto left with a 4-2 lead, but he doesn’t get the win — even though the Dodgers did — because the Los Angeles bullpen couldn’t hold that cushion. The 28-year-old has whiffed 21 hitters over his last two outings, and his ERA is now a healthy 2.61 on the season. Yamamoto has established himself as one of the very best hurlers in baseball, and he’ll look to continue the good run next weekend against the Tigers in Detroit.