Top 10 killers of commercial real estate deals

• May 4, 2024

Today, I must get my David Letterman on and discuss the Top 10 reasons commercial real estate deals fail to close.

As I have discussed in this column, ad nauseam, commercial real estate transactions are simply leases or purchases. We differ from our residential brethren, in that a large percentage of our transaction volume is leases.

Specifically, some agents ply their entire trade negotiating leases either in renewal, direct or sublease fashion. These professionals are known as “tenant rep” brokers because the majority of their work is on the occupant side of the table.

Notably, as interest rates have risen over the past year and a half, we’ve witnessed a reduction in sales, to the benefit of leases. Fortunately, a commercial occupant has a choice! Also, present in the industrial arena this year is a plethora of sublease business: an occupant no longer needs the space from which they operate and must locate a surrogate to fulfill their obligation.

Today, I’ll illuminate the Top 10 reasons these deals — sales and leases — fail to consummate.

Financing issues: Difficulties in securing financing or unexpected changes in lending terms can jeopardize a deal. Issues such as insufficient funds, a spike in interest rates, or stringent lending requirements can lead to deal termination.

Due diligence concerns: Discoveries made during the due diligence process – that free look period occupants have to study a property – such as environmental issues, zoning violations, or property defects, can cause buyers to walk away from the deal or renegotiate terms.

Title problems: Title defects, unresolved liens, or disputes over property ownership can delay or derail a commercial real estate transaction.

Appraisal shortfalls: If the property appraises for less than the agreed-upon purchase price, buyers may struggle to secure financing or may seek to renegotiate the deal terms.

Environmental issues: Environmental contamination or concerns about potential liabilities related to hazardous materials on the property can complicate or prevent a sale or lease from closing.

Legal challenges: Legal disputes, such as zoning violations, boundary squabbles, or recorded lease agreements, can delay or derail a commercial real estate transaction.

Market volatility: Changes in market conditions, such as uncertainty, shifts in supply and demand, fluctuations in interest rates, or economic downturns, can impact deal viability and cause parties to reconsider their positions.

Renegotiation attempts: One party may attempt to renegotiate deal terms after an agreement has been reached, leading to a stand off and potential deal collapse if both parties cannot come to a satisfactory resolution. We’ll typically see this after an occupant has completed their due diligence and found an issue.

Contingencies: Contingencies outlined in the purchase agreement, such as the sale of another property or obtaining necessary permits, may not be met within the specified timeframe, leading to a cratered deal.

Buyer or seller gets cold feet: Sometimes, one party may simply have a change of heart or lose confidence in the deal for personal or business reasons, leading to deal cancellation. We once had a buy requirement pause because he contracted Covid-19. This caused him to re-think his entire life and business.

Not among the Top 10 but certainly a thing is sometimes you just don’t see it coming! But boom, there it is. The death of a principal, collapse of the financial system (2008, a pandemic in 2020), or a company is sold during your negotiations. Yes! We’ve seen all of these.

Allen C. Buchanan, SIOR, is a principal with Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in Orange. He can be reached at [email protected] or 714.564.7104.

​ Orange County Register 

How the gift of a typewriter gave me the keys to the kingdom

• May 4, 2024

May has been very attentive to my need to live in Camelot for my entire birthday month.  By Camelot, I mostly mean the musical which features my favorite “It’s May, it’s May that gorgeous holiday” song … but also the King Arthur reference to a utopia on earth. Romantic and magical with a door wide open to possibility, that is my May,

When my mother surprised me with a portable Remington typewriter on my 16th birthday, it was like a horse-drawn carriage delivering gold into the arms of this young writer. Not only had she noticed and nourished my love of writing, she propped open the door to possibility and I walked through it.

I named the typewriter Maggie, because she looked like a Maggie I would explain many times to friends. They would nod a polite, “I see,” though I knew they did not. Nor did they understand my reverence for a writing machine while they sported sweet 16 hearts on gold chains clasped around their necks.

Only later would they understand.

Now that my muse is the centerpiece of my website I sometimes hear from old friends, “Oh my, is that Maggie?”

Maggie was with me the May that I retreated to Montreal to mend a broken heart. I rented a small room across the road from a beautiful park. In the afternoons I would buy chips and vinegar from a vendor, whose truck played accordion music, and join children playing on the swings. “It’s May. It’s May, that gorgeous holiday.” I would swing and sing.

Later, I would walk back across the colorful flower-trimmed road and write poetry. In a serendipity circumstance, this led to an entire summer of studying with esteemed Canadian poet Irving Layton and reading some of my work on the BBC.

Magical May. It never let me down.

Not unexpectedly, the month really shined when it came to romance. On the day that George and I were married in a friend’s rose garden, a predicted May Gray exercised its right to change course and exploded into sunshine. Great gobs of glorious sunshine.

With such a good track record, how could I not love this month that meanders into summer at its own pace?  I’ve been dancing on the fringes of the merry month for a couple of months, careful to let it unfold without my direction. Now that my special guest has arrived I’m ready to swing in the sunshine and let it play out.

Have at it, May.

Email [email protected]. Follow her on X @patriciabunin and patriciabunin.com.

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​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS boys lacrosse playoffs: Friday’s scores, updated schedule for Monday’s games

• May 4, 2024

CIF-SS BOYS LACROSSE PLAYOFFS

DIVISION 1

Quarterfinals, Friday

St. Margaret’s 17, Corona del Mar 7

Mater Dei 18, Westlake 14

Loyola 9, Santa Margarita 4

Foothill 10, JSerra 5

Semifinals, Monday, 5 p.m.

St. Margaret’s at Mater Dei

Foothill at Loyola

Championship game: May 10

DIVISION 2

Quarterfinals, Friday

Mira Costa 12, Santa Monica 3

Huntington Beach 9, Trabuco Hills 8

Sierra Canyon 12, Palos Verdes 4

Agoura 9, San Clemente 2

Semifinals, Monday, 5 p.m.

Mira Costa at Huntington Beach

Sierra Canyon at Agoura

DIVISION 3

Second round, Friday

Oaks Christian 15, Linfield Christian 2

Hart 13, Oak Park 7

El Segundo 7, Millikan 1

Village Christian 16, Woodbridge 7

Notre Dame/SO 13, Centennial/Corona 3

Northwood 10, Simi Valley 1

University 14, Compton 3

Dos Pueblos 18, Brentwood 7

Quarterfinals, Monday, 5 p.m.

Oaks Christian at Hart

Village Christian at El Segundo

Northwood at Notre Dame/SO

University at Dos Pueblos

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​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS baseball playoffs: First-round scores, updated schedule for all divisions

• May 4, 2024

CIF-SS BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

DIVISION 1

First round, Friday

Corona 1, El Dorado 0

Mater Dei 5, Damien 0

Aquinas 7, Pacifica/GG 2

Notre Dame/SO 16, Torrance 1

Huntington Beach 9, Santiago/Corona 2

Villa Park 6, Bishop Amat 1

Gahr 5, Fullerton 2

Santa Margarita 7, Tesoro 9

Orange Lutheran 6, Sierra Canyon 1

Vista Murrieta 12, Millikan 2

Foothill 7, South Hills 5

La Mirada 4, Oaks Christian 3

San Dimas 2, West Ranch 2

Cypress 5, Calabasas 2

Bonita 15, JSerra 2

Harvard-Westlake 7, Norco 2

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Corona at Mater Dei

Aquinas at Notre Dame/SO

Huntington Beach at Villa Park

Gahr at Santa Margarita

Orange Lutheran at Vista Murrieta

La Mirada at Foothill

Cypress at San Dimas

Harvard-Westlake at Bonita

DIVISION 2

First round, Thursday

Westlake 10, Mira Costa 1

West Torrance 6, Yucaipa 3

Yorba Linda 17, Ocean View 2

Arcadia 3, Long Beach Poly 0

Hart 5, Simi Valley 4 (14 innings)

Newport Harbor 1, Capistrano Valley Christian 0

Palos Verdes 8, San Marcos 3

Arlington 4, Woodbridge 2

Maranatha 4, Royal 0

Ayala 6, La Serna 1

Canyon/A 5, Temecula Valley 1

Quartz Hill 13, Charter Oak 1

Valencia/V 7, Aliso Niguel 1

Moorpark 7, Crescenta Valley 1

Citrus Valley 11, Warren 0

Crean Lutheran 9, Paloma Valley 8

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Westlake at West Torrance

Arcadia at Yorba Linda

Hart at Newport Harbor

Arlington at Palos Verdes

Maranatha at Ayala

CanyonA at Quartz Hill

Moorpark at Valencia/V

Citrus Valley at Crean Lutheran

DIVISION 3

First round, Friday

Centennial/Corona 2, Lakewood 1

Arrowhead Christian 11, Tahquitz 7

South Torrance 3, Northwood 1

El Modena 9, Dana Hills 3

Fountain Valley 4, Trabuco Hills 3

El Segundo 11, Long Beach Wilson 7

Corona del Mar 6, Burbank 0

St. John Bosco 14, Grace 0

Chaminade 3, Chaparral 2

Mission Viejo 3, Santa Barbara 0

La Salle 8, El Rancho 0

Los Alamitos 5, Walnut 0

La Habra 2, Redlands East Valley 1

Beckman 1, Temescal Canyon 0

Newbury Park 12, Flintridge Prep 2

Summit 2, Linfield Christian 1

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Centennial/Corona at Arrowhead Christian

El Modena at South Torrance

Fountain Valley at El Segundo

Corona del Mar at St. John Bosco

Chaminade at Mission Viejo

La Salle at Los Alamitos

Beckman at La Habra

Summit at Newbury Park

DIVISION 4

Thursday, first round

Camarillo 9, Dos Pueblos 0

Murrieta Valley 3, Elsinore 0

Cerritos 13, Hesperia Christian 0

Los Osos 14, Apple Valley 6

Oak Hills 18, Barstow 1

San Marino 5, Citrus Hill 0

Roosevelt 8, Don Lugo 0

Culver City 3, Castaic 2

Tustin 3, Estancia 0

Palm Desert 3, Valley View 0

Rio Mesa 10, Highland 0

Ontario Christian 8, Burroughs/B 0

La Quinta/LQ 12, Heritage 3

Paraclete 4, Sultana 1

St. Francis 8, Windward 3

San Juan Hills 1, Cajon 0

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Camarillo at Murrieta Valley

Los Osos at Cerritos

San Marino at Oak Hills

Culver City at Roosevelt

Tustin at Palm Desert

Rio Mesa at Ontario Christian

La Quinta/LQ at Paraclete

San Juan Hills at St. Francis

DIVISION 5

First round, Friday

Santa Monica 5, Nogales 0

Ganesha 8, Murrieta Mesa 5

Adelanto 9, Marshall 3

Segerstrom 1, South Pasadena 0

Whittier Christian 4, St. Anthony 3

Pacifica/Oxnard 3, Santa Paula 1

Calvary Chapel/SA 6, Saugus 2

Monrovia 6, Pasadena Poly 1

Lakeside 9, Anaheim 3

Chino 5, Ramona 0

Montebello 3, Katella 1

Bloomington 4, Hemet 3

Chino Hills 3, Bellflower 1

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Ganesha at Santa Monica

Adelanto at Trinity Classic Academy

Riverside Poly at Segerstrom

Pacifica/Oxnard at Whittier Christian

Calvary Chapel/SA at Monrovia

Lakeside at Chino

Montebello at Liberty

Bloomington at Chino Hills

DIVISION 6

First round, Thursday

Costa Mesa 5, Garden Grove 4

West Covina 5, Los Amigos 3

Brentwood 4, University 1

Village Christian 8, Milken Community 1

Diamond Bar 10, Savanna 5

St. Paul 3, Lancaster 1

Alhambra 13, de Toledo 0

Grand Terrace 4, Hillcrest 3

Schurr 8, Century 7

Salesian 6, Arroyo 3

St. Bonaventure 3, Mayfair 2

Rancho Mirage 4, Orange Vista 3

Santa Fe 7, Garey 4

Rialto 4, Colony 3

Colony 13, Carpinteria 0

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Costa Mesa at West Covina

Village Christian at Brentwood

St. Paul at Diamond Bar

Alhambra at Grand Terrace

Salesian at Schurr

Rancho Mirage at St. Bonaventure

Santa Fe at Viewpoint

Colony at Rialto

DIVISION 7

First round, Friday

Buena Park 12, Thacher 0

Hueneme 7, St. Bernard 0

Rancho Christian 11, Vasquez 1

Banning 10, AB Miller 9

South El Monte 4, Paramount 3

Artesia 7, Eisenhower 5

Mary Star 3, Foothill Tech 2

Oakwood 11, Temecula Prep 4

Cornerstone Christian/W 6, Littlerock 2

Santa Ana 6, Cantwell Sacred Heart 1

Desert Christian/L at Sierra Vista

Leuzinger 6, Channel Islands 4

Jurupa Valley 5, Carter 1

Chaffey 7, Nuview Bridge 4

Silverado 14, Indio 2

Oxford Academy 7, Western Christian 1

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Buena Park at Hueneme

Banning at Rancho Christian

South El Monte at Artesia

Oakwood at Mary Star

Cornerstone Christian/W at Santa Ana

Leuzinger at Desert Christian/L

Jurupa Valley at Chaffey

Silverado at Oxford Academy

DIVISION 8

First round, Thursday

Pacifica Christian/Newport Beach 6, Academy Academic Excellence 4

United Christian Academy 8, Mountain View 2

San Jacinto Valley 6, Redlands Adventist 2

New Roads 6, Bolsa Grande 4

Coachella Valley 9, Cobalt 0

Don Bosco Tech 13, Gorman Charter 3

Rancho Alamitos 9, Coastal Christian 1

San Bernardino 30, Noli Indian 0

Arroyo Valley 27, Calvary Baptist 3

Valley Christian/SM 12, Yucca Valley 3

Beverly Hills 6, Environmental Charter 3

Edgewood 28, Palm Valley 5

Santa Clarita Christian 3, Loma Linda Academy 0

Cal Lutheran 3, Rolling Hills Prep 2

Academic Career Exploration 9, Cate 0

Azusa 10, Santa Rosa Academy 0

Second round, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.

Pacifica Christian/Newport Beach at United Christian Academy

New Roads at San Jacinto Valley

Rancho Alamitos at San Bernardino

Valley Christian/SM at Arroyo Valley

Edgewood at Beverly Hills

Cal Lutheran at Santa Clarita Christian

Academy Career Exploration at Azusa

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​ Orange County Register 

Baseball playoffs roundup: Buena Park, La Habra, Beckman win in Friday’s first round

• May 4, 2024

Ryan Prescott homered, Neil Navarro hit a three-run double and Manuel Rivera pitched six scoreless innings for Buena Park in a 12-0 victory over Thacher in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 7 baseball playoffs Friday at Buena Park High.

Coyotes coach Cody Gutierrez said it is the school’s first win in the baseball playoffs since 1994, according to the school’s research.

The Coyotes (22-6) are the No. 1 seed in the division. They will play their second-round game Tuesday at Hueneme.

Buena Park finished the game with 11 hits.

Prescott hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBIs. Alex Blancas was 3 for 3 with an RBI.

Rivera struck out nine and gave up only two hits.

In other first-round games Friday:

In Division 3:

La Habra 2, Redlands East Valley 1 (9 innings): La Habra’s Andrew Gandara drove in Spencer Carty in the bottom of the ninth inning for the walk-off win.

Carty got on base with a single and stole second base.

Nothing like playoff baseball!! Andrew Gandara comes up clutch in the bottom of the 9th in a fantastic pitchers duel to score Spencer Carty and take the 2-1 win!! Come on back this Tuesday as we host Beckman HS in Highlander Park at 3:15 pm. See you there!! #webleedblue @fjuhsd pic.twitter.com/sh23HOnrVM

— LHHSAthletics (@LHHSAthletics1) May 4, 2024

La Habra pitcher Jared Day struck out eight over the first seven innings. David Arias pitched two scoreless innings to get the win.

Bobby Brooks drove in the other runs for the Highlanders.

La Habra (21-8) will be at home against Beckman in the second round Tuesday.

Corona del Mar 6, Burbank 0: Nick Salmon homered and Dillon Lane had three RBIs for the host Sea Kings (19-9).

Corona del Mar plays at St. John Bosco on Tuesday in the second round.

Beckman 1, Temescal Canyon 0: Zach Ireland drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning to bring home the winning run for the Patriots (21-6-1).

Ireland pitched seven innings and gave up only two hits. Connor Perea pitched the eighth inning and got the win.

Beckman plays at La Habra in the second round Tuesday.

Los Alamitos 5, Walnut 0: The Griffins (22-7), who finished third in the four-team Surf League, got a shutout win on the road.

They play at La Salle of Pasadena on Tuesday in the second round.

In Division 1:

Mater Dei 5, Damien 0: Wylan Moss pitched a shutout for Mater Dei in the win at Damien.

Mater Dei (17-12) will play at home against top-seeded Corona (26-3) ihe second round Tuesday.

The Monarchs beat Corona 5-3 in the Boras Classic South tournament championship game last month.

Brody Connors drove in three runs and Antonio Ganem had two hits and an RBI for the Monarchs.

Corona 1, El Dorado 0: Billy Carlson hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat the visiting Golden Hawks (14-15).

El Dorado senior right-hander Travis Maxwell shut out Corona, the No. 1-ranked team in the state by Prep Baseball California, for six innings before Carlson’s home run.

The Golden Hawks were fourth in the four-team Crestview League and qualified for the playoffs as an at-large team.

Huntington Beach 11, Santiago of Corona 12: Matt Hansen homered and drove in five runs for the host Oilers (21-8). Ethan Porter had two RBIs for Huntington Beach.

The Oilers play at Villa Park in a second-round game Tuesday.

Cypress’ Nick Montgomery, left, homered and Wyatt Rosales, right, pitched a complete game in a 5-2 win over Calabasas in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs Friday, May 3. (Photo by Steve Fryer, the Orange County Register/SCNG)

Cypress 5, Calabasas 2: Nick Montgomery hit a two-run home run and Wyatt Rosales pitched a complete game for the host Centurions (19-9-1).

Cypress plays at San Dimas in the second round Tuesday.

Foothill 7, South Hills 5: Brian Harbour and Tyler Hawkins drove in two runs apiece for the Knights (21-8) in their victory at home. Both players also pitched in the win.

The Knights are home against La Mirada in the second round Tuesday.

In Division 5:

Segerstrom 1, South Pasadena 0: Rodrigo Rivera threw a shutout for the visiting Jaguars (13-11-1). Rivera gave up four singles and one walk.

Nathan Nunez’s squeeze bunt drove in the run. Nick Gardia had two hits, including a double for Segerstrom.

The Jaguars play at Riverside Prep in the second round Tuesday.

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​ Orange County Register 

Seven-run inning lifts El Modena baseball to victory over Dana Hills in Division 3 playoffs

• May 4, 2024

DANA POINT — A seven-run fourth inning led El Modena’s baseball team to a 9-3 win over Dana Hills Friday in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs at Dana Hills High.

El Modena (19-8-1) will play its second-round game at South Torrance on Tuesday. South Torrance beat Northwood 3-1 in the first round Friday.

“Always happy to get a win, however it comes,” El Modena coach Josh Kliner said. “We didn’t sting the ball too well today but we put the ball in play and put pressure on. We hang our hats on the way we run the bases and I thought we did a tremendous job being aggressive and putting pressure on them.”

The pitching matchup Friday was between two pitchers who signed with Big West Conference teams. Cal State Fullerton signee Grady Faris pitched for Dana Hills and Cal State Northridge signee Nick Santivanez pitched for the Vanguards.

Both pitchers cruised through three innings until Faris ran into trouble in the fourth inning. El Modena sent 11 hitters to the plate, had four hits, had three players get hit by a pitch and scored seven runs.

Lukas Alvarado started the rally with a run-scoring single to give the Vanguards a 1-0 lead. Christian Tafua drove in a run on a fielder’s choice when Alvarado was safe on an attempted play at the plate.

Logan Asch hit a RBI single to extend the lead to three.

Asch went 2 for 3 with a run scored and RBI. He leads the team with a .411 batting average and 30 hits.

“Logan has been great all year. He has hit .400 and played gold glove-like defense for us,” Kliner said.

Jack Selvey drove in a run with a single and Logan Honikel, in his second plate appearance of the inning, reached base on a fielding error by the Dolphins that also allowed a run to score.

Selvey had two hits for El Modena and drove in a game-high three runs. He hit a two-run single in the fifth inning to extend El Modena’s lead to 9-0.

Santivanez pitched six innings for El Modena and allowed three unearned runs with five strikeouts. He has a 7-1 record this season with a 0.70 earned run average.

“The guy is an absolute stud, I don’t know what else to say about him,” Kliner said of Santivanez. “He commands the game and stays under control. He’s grown so much over four years and to see it culminating now at the end of his senior year is pretty enjoyable. He always gives us a chance to win.”

Dana Hills scored all three of its runs in the sixth inning. Tyler Baker got a hit and later scored on a wild pitch. Caleb Fry grounded into an error that scored two runs to cut the lead to 9-3.

Ryan Novajoski pitched a perfect seventh inning for El Modena to finish the game.

Both El Modena and Dana Hills shared league championships with two other teams this season. The Vanguards were the co-champions in the Crestview League with Foothill and Villa Park. Dana Hills was the co-champs in the South Coast League with Tesoro and Trabuco Hills.

Kliner believes that the team’s challenging schedule and the tough Crestview League helped prepare the team for a playoff run.

“Nothing is really going to phase them because we’ve played great competition all year,” Kliner said. “I think our last five games we’ve faced a DI commit on the mound so we’ve kind of seen everything. Because of that the kids believe in themselves.”

Dana Hills opened the season with a 1-6 record before turning its season around. It swept Capistrano Valley last week to qualify for the playoffs.

The league championship was the third for the Dolphins under coach Tom Faris and this was the team’s 12th playoff appearance in his tenure.

“I was really happy to see them compete, they really competed in league,” Faris said. “We set up a tough schedule to prepare them for tough teams in CIF and we just didn’t play very well today. But they didn’t quit, they kept playing and hats off to them.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Angel City FC tops Utah for 3rd win in 4 games

• May 4, 2024

SANDY, Utah — Sydney Leroux and Clair Emslie both scored in the first half and Angel City held on for a 2-1 victory over the expansion Utah Royals on Friday night.

It was the third win in four games for Angel City (3-3-1, 10 points), which has played a schedule front-loaded with some of the NWSL’s top teams before its meeting with the Royals.

Leroux scored on a header in the 29th minute and Emslie doubled the lead with a penalty kick in the 41st. Emslie leads the team with five goals this season.

Alyssa Thompson’s assist on Leroux’s goal was the 19-year-old’s third straight game with an assist, making her the youngest NWSL player with three in three games.

Dana Foederer scored her first NWSL goal in the 51st minute to pull Utah within 2-1 as the Royals (1-5-1, 4 points) pressed for a home win before heading out on the road for the next three matches.

Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haracic stopped Amandine Henry’s free kick through the wall in the 73rd minute then stopped a rebound attempt from Madison Pogarch to preserve the victory.

“It was gritty, we ground it out. I think we need to be better to be honest, two-nil up, need to be better in the second half,” Emslie said.

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​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers outlast Braves on Andy Pages’ 11th-inning walk-off single

• May 4, 2024

LOS ANGELES — This time around, there was no playoff seeding at stake, no MVP race to decide and no argument to settle about who is the National League’s best team as October approached.

This time, the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves met as a pair of mega-talented teams still trying to find their way in the early portion of the season and they proved to be at similar places on the journey.

In the first meeting of NL powers, it was the Dodgers who got the jump on the season series with a 4-3 victory Friday night as Andy Pages delivered a walk-off RBI single in the 11th inning. The rookie finished his first four-hit game in style.

“It’s very special to me,” Pages said through an interpreter about getting singles in each of his final four at-bats. “We know how good Atlanta is. I was just happy we got the win.”

The early anticipation for this Dodgers-Braves matchup was a far cry from the last time the teams dueled at Dodger Stadium late last season. Yet it ended up similar in many ways when the atmosphere increased as the hour grew late.

A year ago, Ronald Acuña Jr. got the jump on the Dodgers in the showdown series with an early grand slam and made a statement in an Atlanta series win that lasted through MVP voting when he was named the NL’s top player.

On Friday, it was Acuña’s home run in the eighth inning that tied the score at 2-2 and ultimately forced extra innings. Acuña entered with just one home run, although he was still in a three-way tie for most runs scored in the major leagues with 29. The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts was among the trio.

“Especially (facing) that team, the Braves … we have to play a perfect game for us to be able to get the win,” said Teoscar Hernandez, who hit a home run as the Dodgers won for the eighth time in 10 games. “But it was really important. We’re paying really good baseball right now and trying to stay focused on things we need to do and just try to keep the streak going.”

With a month left in the 2023 regular season, the Braves won three of the four games against the Dodgers in what felt like a NL Championship Series preview, only to have both teams collapse in the NL Division Series.

Acuña had his home run Friday, although fellow star Matt Olson continued his early-season slumber by going 0 for 4.

The Dodgers have their stars too, although Betts and former Brave Freddie Freeman were relatively quiet with one hit among them. On Friday, the team’s rock was Gavin Stone, who gave up one run on five hits over six innings with a walk and five strikeouts. The bullpen gave up one earned run on one hit the rest of the way.

“I think I was just getting ahead and using secondaries to kind of get soft contact and put them away,” Stone said. “A couple of innings there, especially early, I wasn’t getting ahead but (catcher Will Smith) had a really good game plan so he kind of calmed me down.

The Braves scored in the 10th inning on a sacrifice fly from Orlando Arcia, but Shohei Ohtani wiped out that run with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th to extend the game.

Michael Grove (1-1) earned the win with a scoreless 11th inning. Pages’ game-winning bloop hit to center field came off veteran right-hander Jesse Chavez (1-1).

“Pitch by pitch your confidence grows and grows,” Pages said of the game winner that came on a full count during an eight-pitch at-bat. “You get more experience facing these pitchers and get more chances with these at-bats.”

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Hernandez has been impressed with Pages, who was playing in his 15th career game.

“Watching him play, watching him develop these couple of weeks since he’s been up here, he’s a great guy and he’s always asking how to get better,” Hernandez said. “… He’s made for big moments. He’s not afraid to go out there and have success at any moment.”

Smith continued his production with an early RBI single and Hernandez hit a fourth-inning home run, to match Ohtani for top honors on the team with seven. Smith’s 25 RBIs rank second among NL catchers.

At age 40, Braves right-hander Charlie Morton was as effective as ever, giving up two runs on five hits over six innings with two walks and five strikeouts.

The lone run Stone allowed was on a home run by Austin Riley in the first inning. The Braves weren’t heard from again until Acuña went deep against right-hander Daniel Hudson.

Andy Pages #WALKOFF! pic.twitter.com/IUHe6Oodqp

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 4, 2024

.@kirsten_watson caught up with tonight’s #Dodgers hero, Andy Pages after his walk-off hit against the Braves. pic.twitter.com/i8ip0IV7ay

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 4, 2024

Dave Roberts on Andy Pages: “Every time he gets up there it seems like he takes a good at-bat, and the moment certainly doesn’t get too big for him… he just rose to the occasion, it’s fun to watch.” pic.twitter.com/vfTtv7UUUn

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 4, 2024

OHTANI TIES IT UP! #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/Xug0mqM7l7

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 4, 2024

GET OUT BALL!! #Dodgers take the lead on Teoscar Hernández’s homer. pic.twitter.com/s3uHEn4m0Y

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 4, 2024

​ Orange County Register