Andrew Heaney was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for a few hours early in his major league career.
Heaney is still hoping to convince their front office they should have given him a longer look five years ago. He’ll get another opportunity Sunday evening when he takes the mound for the Los Angeles Angels in the series finale against the Dodgers at Angel Stadium.
The Dodgers (48-40) gave up two runs in the ninth inning and lost the series opener 3-2 on Friday night Bobby Okereke Jersey , then held on for a 3-1 win against the Angels (45-45) on Saturday.
Heaney was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Dodgers at the winter meetings Dec. 12, 2014, but a few hours later the Dodgers dealt him to the Angels for popular second baseman Howie Kendrick.
Heaney had two chances to beat the Dodgers during the 2015 season, but lost both games. He gave up two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 3-1 loss at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 1 of that season. Five weeks later at Angel Stadium, he gave up five runs and six hits in five innings of a 6-4 loss.
Heaney had Tommy John surgery in June 2016 and made only six starts over the next two seasons.
Heaney (4-6, 3.94) had a solid month of May this season, posting a 2-3 record and 2.41 ERA in six starts. He had a winning mark of 2-1 in June, but his ERA dipped to 4.45 for the month. In his only start in July, he gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings at the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, taking the loss in the 4-1 defeat.
“It’s sort of been the same old story for a little while, just sort of the big innings where I let it kind of build,” Heaney told reporters after his latest outing. “It’s something where I need to come out and establish earlier, kind of get ahead, and all the other same stuff we always talk about.”
Heaney will be opposed by Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood, who will be aiming to win his fifth straight start. Wood also won all five appearances in May of last season on his way to an 11-0 start.
Wood (5-5 Khari Willis Jersey , 3.84) probably didn’t expect to have a chance to go over .500 by early July after dropping to 0-4 on May 15.
“Winning is just nice,” Wood told Sportsnet after his latest start, a 17-1 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. “Four in a row is nice, especially where I was after that three-start stretch. So I feel good, just trying to keep moving forward and looking towards the future. Hopefully, we’ll keep swinging the bats well and play well going into the All-Star break.”
The Angels are the only American League West team Wood has not faced in his major league career.
He struggled in his only interleague start this season, giving up seven runs and seven hits over 3 2/3 innings in a 16-6 loss to the visiting Oakland A’s on April 11.
The toughest moment of Mike Leake’s stellar night was missing a chance for a shutout.
Leake pitched eight sparkling innings, Mitch Haniger drove in three runs and the Seattle Mariners snapped a season-high five-game losing streak with a 7-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
With closer Edwin Diaz needing some work, Seattle manager Scott Servais had to deliver the bad news to Leake.
”Very tough, very, very hard,” Servais said. ”I told him: `Mike, 99 percent of the time I wouldn’t take you out of this game, but we need to get Eddie out there.”’
Leake (8-4) gave up three singles, struck out five and walked two six days after he allowed five runs and took the loss against the Red Sox at Safeco Field. Diaz gave up two runs in the ninth.
”I wanted it Josh Allen Jersey ,” Leake said. ”I was ready, but they wanted to give Diaz work, so there’s no fight there.”
His last shutout was on Sept. 30, 2015, for San Francisco against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nelson Cruz had three hits and scored twice a night after hitting two homers and driving in seven runs for Seattle, which went on its skid after beating Boston two straight at home last weekend.
J.D. Martinez had two singles for Boston after going 4 for 5 with five RBIs when the Red Sox collected a season-high 20 hits in a 14-10 victory Friday.
Eduardo Rodriguez (9-2) gave up five runs, four earned, in four innings, snapping his personal six-game win streak. The Red Sox were 13-1 in his starts this season.
”Today was just the command with the pitches, you know what I mean?” he said.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Rodriguez’s lack of command with his cutter was the difference from last weekend when he was solid against the Mariners. He said both of Haniger’s doubles came off the pitch.
”Those two pitches, compared to last week, last week we attack them away, Eduardo did and tonight he tried to go in and it didn’t work,” he said.
Playing on a cool, misty night Jawaan Taylor Jersey , the Mariners managed to close out the Red Sox after blowing two five-run leads during their slide, including Friday.
Seattle broke it open with three runs in the fourth. Haniger made it 4-0 with a two-out, two-run double off the Green Monster. He scored from second on Kyle Seager’s infield hit when Rodriguez slipped covering first and turned late for the plate.
Haniger also had an RBI double in the first.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: SS Jean Segura missed his third straight game with a right forearm infection. ”The swelling has gone down quite a bit,” Servais said. The plan was for him to hit and field to see where he’d be for Sunday afternoon’s game.
Red Sox: Cora said LHP Drew Pomeranz (10-day DL, left biceps tendinitis) felt better after throwing off a mound on Friday. He threw lightly on Saturday and Cora said he ”might do another bullpen” on Monday. … 3B Rafael Devers fouled a ball of his foot and came out after completing his at-bat. ”He’s OK,” Cora said.
SHORT-HANDED SOX
Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Xander Bogaerts were both out of the lineup.
Cora said Betts was ”a little bit under the weather. He had no energy.” The All-Star outfielder entered Saturday with a .342 average, second-best in the majors, with 19 homers and 39 RBIs.
Bogaerts left Friday’s game after he sprained his left index finger on a headfirst slide to second.
YOU AGAIN
For the second straight game, both starters had faced the same team in their previous start. Rodriguez earned the win, allowing only two runs in six innings last Sunday in Seattle.
”It does make it a little bit more challenging for the pitcher in my mind,” Servais said before the game.
Cora said: ”You have to make an adjustment just to make an adjustment.”
UP NEXT
Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (7-4, 3.80 ERA) is slated to start the series finale Sunday. He’s 6-2 with a 2.88 ERA in his last 11 starts.
Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (6-4, 2.74) is set to start. The ace has allowed one or no runs in nine of 17 starts this season and is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA in his career against Seattle.