Nick Messick Dominates Six Scoreless to Halt Dodgers’ Perfect Start

The Cleveland Guardians snapped the Los Angeles Dodgers’ sparkling start to the season by leaning on Parker Messick’s dominant outing to topple the high-powered Dodgers, 4-2. Here’s a breakdown of the key moments, standout performances, and a few milestones from the game—including a big one for José Ramírez—and a quick look at what’s next when Shohei Ohtani returns to the mound.

Guardians Snap Dodgers’ Perfect Start Behind Messick

Parker Messick tossed six scoreless innings and powered Cleveland past Los Angeles. That win ended the Dodgers’ 3-0 start, after they’d rallied in each game of their opening series against Arizona.

Messick scattered four hits and struck out five, picking up the win for Cleveland (1-0). Steven Kwan got the Guardians on the board early with an RBI double off Roki Sasaki, giving Cleveland a 1-0 lead.

Roki Sasaki made his first start since May 9 and lasted four innings. He gave up one run on four hits, walked two, and struck out four.

The Guardians stretched their lead later, but the real drama came in the seventh when Cleveland’s offense broke through. The bullpen held the Dodgers down, and Cade Smith took the loss for L.A. after a wild ninth inning that included two wild pitches.

Seventh-Inning Breakthrough

In the seventh, Rhys Hoskins worked a bases-loaded walk to push Cleveland ahead. Daniel Schneemann followed with a two-run double, giving the Guardians a 4-1 cushion.

That was actually the first time the Dodgers’ bullpen had allowed any runs this season. Cleveland’s bats showed up when it counted.

Dodgers’ Late Rally and Bullpen Status

The Dodgers tried to mount a rally in the ninth, but they just couldn’t close the gap. Betts knocked an RBI double and Freeman added an RBI groundout, accounting for the Dodgers’ only runs in that final frame.

Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman put together some late offense, but Cleveland’s pitching and timely hitting sealed the deal. The Guardians closed out a 4-2 win and handed the Dodgers their first loss of the year.

• Parker Messick — six scoreless innings; five strikeouts; earned win (1-0).
• Steven Kwan — RBI double off Sasaki for the first run.
• Roki Sasaki — four innings; one run allowed on four hits; four strikeouts; two walks; first start since May 9.
• Rhys Hoskins — bases-loaded walk in the seventh, extending the lead.
• Daniel Schneemann — two-run double in the seventh to widen the gap.
• Cade Smith — allowed two wild pitches in the ninth, part of a late Dodgers rally but not enough to erase the deficit.
• Dodgers’ 3-for-16 combined output from Ohtani, Tucker, Betts, and Freeman in the game; Betts had the only RBI hit in the late innings for L.A.
• José Ramírez — 1,614th Guardians appearance, tying Nap Lajoie for second all-time; potentially moving past Terry Turner (1,619) this weekend.

Milestones and Next Steps

The night had a bit of history for José Ramírez. His 1,614th appearance for Cleveland tied him with Nap Lajoie for second all-time in franchise history.

He could move past Terry Turner (1,619) this weekend. Ramírez’s run with the Guardians is a reminder of the franchise’s stability, especially as they keep building around that familiar core.

Next up, Tanner Bibee gets the ball for Cleveland on Tuesday. He’ll face the Dodgers’ big-ticket returnee, Shohei Ohtani, who’s making his season pitching debut.

That matchup should be a pretty good early test for the Guardians’ rotation. Bibee will try to keep Cleveland rolling as this interleague stretch continues.

What This Win Means for Cleveland

Sure, the win matters in the standings, but there’s more to it. Messick keeps showing up as a steady piece in the rotation.

Kwan keeps coming through with clutch hitting. The Guardians seem happy to grind out wins with those little small-ball moments that really swing things their way.

Now, they’re in a spot to lean on Ramírez’s durability. The rest of the lineup looks like it’s gaining confidence as the season rolls along.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Messick shines for 6 scoreless as Guardians spoil Dodgers’ perfect start, 4-2