Dalton Rushing Walks It Off; Dodgers Get Series-Opening Win Over Orioles

Coming off a rough outing against the firecracker of a lineup that is the Chicago White Sox, Roki Sasaki took the mound at Dodger Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles in hopes of getting back on track. 

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Through the first 5.2 innings, it was looking as though he was turning back to the Sasaki of mid-May. He shut out Baltimore and recorded six strikeouts.

Though his outing would turn bleak in the blink of an eye, a three-run offensive outburst in the ninth inning was capped by a walk-off hit from Dalton Rushing, securing the series-opening win for the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 on Friday night.

Jun 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium. -- © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sasaki cruised by Orioles hitters and was once again showing life with his fastball. He topped out at 100.6 mph and recorded an average fastball of 98.7 mph (1.3 mph faster than his season average).

And just like how it's been when Sasaki could dot his heater, it generated a 33% whiff and a 33% called strikes and whiff percentage. 

With a 3-0 lead, the right-hander was well on his way to reach the sixth inning for just the second time this month. But back-to-back home runs from Gunnar Henderson (a two-run shot) and a solo shot from Pete Alonso, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled the 24-year-old.

The Dodgers put their runs on the board through the first two innings.

Thanks to a bases-clearing RBI double from Max Muncy in the first inning and an Andy Pages RBI double in the second inning, Los Angeles gave Sasaki a decent lead before he imploded. 

Jun 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) hits a two RBI single during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium. -- © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images 

Following the Orioles' three-run sixth that knocked Sasaki out of the game, they followed that up with two runs in the seventh that put them over the hump. 

The Dodgers showed some fight in the ninth. Mookie Betts launched his eighth home run of the season and his 299th career long ball to cut Baltimore's deficit to one. 

Rushing came up to the plate with two on and two out with a chance to get the Dodgers within striking distance. Up to this point, it had been more than a frustrating night at the plate for Rushing. He was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. 

Down to his final strike, Rushing buckled down and knocked Ryan Helsley's 1-2 fastball to right field that drove in two after an errant throw from Tyler O'Neill. This marks the Dodgers 23rd come-from-behind victory this season. 

Along with the win, it marks their fourth consecutive win. Los Angeles will look for the series win on Saturday with Yoshinonbu Yamamoto on the rubber. 

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