Hollywood, meet Houston.
The Dodgers came into the weekend as the best team in baseball on paper. But the Houston Astros showed up and completely rewrote the script. Sunday's 5-1 win at a sun-drenched Dodger Stadium wasn’t just the final chapter—it was a statement. A clean sweep on the road against a team loaded with superstars like Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts? Yeah, that’ll do it.
🔥 Key Highlights:
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Ryan Gusto dominates Dodgers for best start of his rookie season
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Taylor Trammell’s sliding grab stuns the LA crowd
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Zack Short’s bat turns heads with a rare three-hit game
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Jose Altuve answers the boos with a home run dagger
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Astros notch their first Dodger Stadium sweep since 2008
Let’s talk about that moment in the eighth inning, when the Dodgers’ faithful thought the tide might turn. Mookie Betts slapped a little flare into left field—just enough to spark some hope. The crowd roared, sunbeams bathing Dodger Stadium as the tying run stepped to the plate. “FREDDIE! FREDDIE!” chants echoed through Chavez Ravine. Freeman, the face of composure, dug in.
But Houston rookie Bryan King was not here for storybook endings.
He peppered Freeman with outside fastballs. Strike one. Strike two. Freeman fought off a few more pitches, extending the at-bat to five tense pitches. Finally, he ripped a liner into center—clean contact, destined for trouble.
Enter Taylor Trammell.
The guy had only been in the game two innings, subbing in for a Gold Glove finalist. Eighth big league appearance of the year. No one expected him to make the play of the game—heck, maybe the play of his career. But there he was, charging in, glasses flying off his hat, sliding forward, glove outstretched...
Caught it.
Popped up with fire in his eyes. Crowd stunned. Astros bench exploded.
Behind that unforgettable grab was the engine of the Astros’ win: rookie Ryan Gusto. On seven days' rest and facing baseball’s highest-scoring lineup, Gusto showed no fear. He tossed six innings of one-run ball, giving up just four hits—all in two-strike counts. Nothing rattled him, not even when Michael Conforto walked to lead off the second or when Hyeseong Kim followed with a single. Gusto buckled down, got a key double-play ball, and then gave up the lone run on a double by Rushing.
That was it.
From there, Gusto cruised, retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. And it wasn’t like he was dancing around the top of the order—Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, and Pages went a combined 2-for-12 against him.
Gusto threw his sinker more than usual, using it effectively against both righties and lefties. The Dodgers’ average exit velocity off him? A soft 89.7 mph—mostly lazy fly balls and pop-ups. Just one strikeout, but everything else screamed dominance. Easily the best start of his young career.
Meanwhile, let’s give some unexpected love to Zack Short. Not exactly a household name, and definitely not known for his bat. Coming into Sunday, Short had a career batting average of just .168. But baseball is full of surprises.
Short started both Saturday and Sunday at shortstop. On Saturday, he knocked a clutch two-run double. On Sunday, he did even more damage.
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✅ Led off the third inning with a single
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✅ Scored the first run on a Jose Altuve sac fly
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✅ Fought through an 0-2 count in the sixth and drew a bases-loaded walk
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✅ Added another single in the eighth
That last knock gave him just his third career three-hit game. Not bad for a guy who was called up recently from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Let’s not skip the long ball—because Houston didn’t.
In the top of the eighth, Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz launched solo homers that padded the lead and silenced the LA crowd. Diaz’s shot, in particular, was a no-doubter—crushed deep into left. And as if the boos weren’t already raining down, Jose Altuve stepped up in the ninth and added one more for good measure, sending a solo homer into the seats to cap the win. All series long, Altuve was booed like a pantomime villain—but he made them pay.
Let’s zoom out for a sec.
The Astros are rolling. Sunday’s win gave them a sweep in Dodger Stadium for the first time since May 9-11, 2008. And they didn’t just sneak past the Dodgers—they outplayed them wire-to-wire. They’ve now either won or split each of their last 13 series and sit 20 games above .500, sporting a 55-35 record.
That’s not a hot streak—that’s a legit run.
🔧 Rotation Shuffle
With Gusto taking the ball Sunday, the Astros used the opportunity to reshuffle their rotation heading into the series against Cleveland. That extra day of rest could pay dividends down the line.
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Colton Gordon will open the series Monday night at Daikin Park
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Hunter Brown and Brandon Walter are set to follow
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With an off-day Thursday, Houston may tweak the rotation again ahead of their final pre-All-Star series vs. Texas
And that Texas matchup? Oh yeah, it’s gonna be spicy. A three-game series with playoff implications, right before the break.
💬 Final Thoughts
This weekend wasn’t just about the Astros winning games—it was about how they won them.
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A rookie starter outdueling a stacked lineup
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A role player making a game-saving defensive play
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A guy with a sub-.170 average turning into a spark plug
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Veterans hitting bombs under pressure
That’s a full team effort.
The Dodgers are loaded with names. But this weekend, it was the Astros—resilient, hungry, and underrated—who stole the show in Hollywood. And they’re not just surviving the season anymore—they’re thriving.
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