LOS ANGELES _ A flock of people lined up outside Dodger Stadium's Gate A, on the corner of Stadium Way and Vin Scully Avenue, to greet the Houston Astros on Saturday morning. It was the closest the peeved fans could come to jeering them this season. So they gathered carrying signs and trash cans to welcome the Astros in their first visit to Dodger Stadium since their cheating scheme in 2017 was exposed.
Finally, the big red bus transporting the villains sped by them, turning right into the entrance. They had 10 seconds and they didn't waste them. They yelled and they banged. Later, they cheered when Joe Kelly, Dodgers reliever and cult hero, pulled up and slowly entered the gate. He honked for his admirers and gave them a thumbs up. The home team was appreciative.
"I loved it. I loved it," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I think they have every right to do whatever they feel to express their feelings and I thought it was great."
Inside the ballpark, fans were spared from witnessing Kenley Jansen blow a three-run lead in the ninth inning in a 7-5 loss. Jansen exited after the Astros scored four runs on five hits and an error by third baseman Max Muncy. The closer was ultimately charged with five runs, four earned _ doubling the number of earned runs he allowed in his first 20 appearances this season. He threw 21 pitches and didn't record an out.
Julio Urias gave up a double to the game's first batter _ George Springer _ and allowed him to score on Yuli Gurriel's two-out single later in the inning. It was the only damage Houston inflicted on the left-hander as Urias delivered one of his best starts of the season. He limited the Astros to the one run on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts over six innings.
The offense supplied him a lead with a three-run second inning on back-to-back home runs from Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez off Astros left-hander Framber Valdez. Corey Seager tripled and scored in the third inning. He produced an RBI single in the fifth to give Los Angeles additional insurance. It wasn't enough as the Astros beat the Dodgers for the first time in three tries this season.
The air quality at Dodger Stadium was so poor Saturday because of surrounding wildfires that the Dodgers canceled all pregame on-field activities, including batting practice, besides Kelly's one-inning simulated game. Kelly, coincidentally, ia serving a five-game suspension for throwing at Astros hitters and sparking a benches-clearing brouhaha in the clubs' first meeting in Houston on July 28.
Saturday's encounter, the first of a two-game set, didn't feature any off those fireworks. Houston's lineup was announced to background music and nothing else.
The only visible sign of tension between the sides flew a few hundred feet overhead before the game.
"HOUSTON CHEATS BANG BANG," a banner attached to an airplane read. At least one other flyover designed to taunt the visitors was scheduled, but it was canceled because of the low visibility. At ground level, the stadium DJ and organist took turns taking subtle shots at the Astros with different songs. James Brown's "Payback," Ace of Base's "The Sign," The Eagles' "Lyin' Eyes" were included in the themed soundtrack.
Otherwise, the scene was ordinary by 2020 standards. The two teams played in an empty ballpark with fake crowd noise piped in two weeks and a day before the end of a 60-game regular season. The Dodgers have been the superior team _ they own the best record in the majors and the Astros are clawing for just a playoff spot _ but they weren't in the ninth inning Saturday.
