Taylor Ward (3) is being second-guessed for bunting with his Angels trailing 13-0 in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Dodgers. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers were baffled by this play by Angels in Saturday’s game

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 5/9/21

We know that in many corners of baseball, bunting to try to break up a no-hitter is one of the sport’s cardinal sins. However, how about bunting while trailing 13-0?

That is what Los Angeles Angels right fielder Taylor Ward tried to do in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the Angels down 13-0 in the fifth, Ward tried to bunt for a hit with a runner on first and one out.

The Dodgers were not impressed. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw even appeared to be muttering about how “stupid” it was, and the team actually seemed fairly animated about it.

Clayton Kershaw and Dave Roberts in disbelief after Taylor Ward bunts down 13-0. pic.twitter.com/UaXgITMpmX

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) May 9, 2021

The Dodgers hung on to win 14-11, although the bunt didn’t have anything to do with the Angels’ comeback attempt. After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t mince words regarding what he thought of the attempt.

Asked about the bunt after the game, Dave Roberts said, “It’s just not a good baseball play, any way you slice it.”

— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) May 9, 2021

You have to wonder what Ward was thinking here. Sure, if he thought he could get on base that way, great, but in a 13-0 game, it looks bad. It’s not as if Ward was in a situation where a bunt made sense, like this one.

On the other hand, it sure seemed to get a rise out of the Dodgers. Maybe it helped knock them out of their comfort zone a little bit.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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