Dodgers Postgame: L.A. Drops Game to Padres to Even NLDS at One Game Each
The Dodgers lost to the Padres, 5-3, to even the series at one game each. The game was dumb and stupid and should be ashamed of itself.
Clayton Kershaw allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, walking none and striking out six. He gets a no-decision.
Brusdar Graterol gets the loss after allowing an unearned run in the sixth inning due to a Trea Turner error. The Padres added an insurance run in the eighth when Jake Cronenworth homered off Blake Treinen.
Homers Get L.A. on the Board
The Dodgers hit three solo homers against Yu Darvish, one each from Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Trea Turner.
Freeman’s homer in the bottom of the first tied the game after Manny Machado had homered in the top of the inning, and Muncy’s shot gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. After San Diego put up a two-spot in the top of the third to take a 3-2 lead, Trea’s homer in the bottom of the third re-tied the game. It would stay tied until the sixth.
Defensive Roller Coaster in the Sixth
With the game tied, 3-3, the Padres had a runner on first with one out in the top of the sixth inning, and Wil Myers hit a grounder to shortstop. It wasn’t hit very hard, so Trea Turner rushed to try to turn the double play, causing him to bobble the ball and get zero outs, instead.
Jurickson Profar immediately made the Dodgers pay, poking a single to right field to score the go-ahead run and move Myers to third.
Then the gloves came out. Trent Grisham laid down a pretty decent safety squeeze bunt, but Brusdar Graterol charged the ball, barehanded it, and made a perfect throw to catcher Will Smith for the out.
Austin Nola then hit a deep fly ball to center field that turned Cody Bellinger around a couple times, but Belli eventually made an outstanding catch over his shoulder to end the inning and the threat.
Big time plays from Brusdar and Cody. ? pic.twitter.com/0TWbsHBOvH
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 13, 2022
Big Missed Opportunity
Will Smith led off the bottom of the sixth with an infield single off Yu Darvish, and Max Muncy followed with a blast off the wall in right field, his second hit of the game. Unfortunately, it looked like Juan Soto might have a play on the ball in right, which made Smith have to hold up until it dropped. That delayed him going to third, which slowed Muncy down, and when the dust settled, the runners were on first and third instead of second and third.
It ended up really mattering. Reliever Robert Suarez came in and struck out Justin Turner, and Gavin Lux hit into a double play to end the inning and keep San Diego ahead, 4-3.
The @Padres get out of a jam!
What a ballgame this has been!! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/G28LDIQ6iR
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2022
Almonte and Kahnle Are Straight Filth
Yency Almonte made his postseason debut, and you could say it went okay. Facing the top of the San Diego order in the top of the seventh, he got behind all three hitters — 3-0 on Ha-Seong Kim, 3-1 on Juan Soto, and 2-0 on Manny Machado.
But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and Almonte finished all three at-bats with swinging strikeouts.
More like Yency Almont-K.
— Jeff J. Snider (@snidog) October 13, 2022
Tommy Kahnle pitched the ninth inning and was even better. Facing the same three hitters Amonte faced, Kahnle struck out the side on just 10 pitches, and no one was even close to hitting him.
Nasty changeup from Tommy Kahnle pic.twitter.com/YpGYQ1M2Fo
— Ben Palmer (@benjpalmer) October 13, 2022
Big Missed Opportunity, Part II
In the bottom of the seventh, with Suarez still on the mound for San Diego, the Dodgers got a one-out single from Cody Bellinger and a double from Mookie Betts to put runners on second and third. Trea Turner hit a grounder right at Machado, who threw him out for the second out. After an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman to load the bases, Will Smith lined the ball right at Trent Grisham in center to end the inning.
Overall on the night, the Dodgers were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
There Was a Goose on the Field
There was a goose on the field.
The good luck duck pic.twitter.com/cNdbHHXzwz
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 13, 2022
It was not a duck, and it was not good luck.
Up Next
The Dodgers and Padres will take a day off on Thursday, then resume the series with Game 3 in San Diego on Friday evening.
Another disappointing loss in the playoffs. Leaving 19 runners on base drives me crazy. Leaving runners on 3rd base with less than 2 outs drives me insane. Bringing Barnes in to pitch hit in the bottom of the 8th inning makes absolutely no sense to me.
Lets face it, the Padres are now for real. To heck with the regular season. Now we have to go to SD and face Snell, a pitcher that has had success against us in the past. I predict that whoever wins tomorrow’s game will win the series. I am super disappointed with Trayce Thompson, Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, and even Mookie Betts. If the 4 of them continue to not get hits with runners in scoring position, this could be a SD winning the next to games and series over. It would be like so many other post seasons where we have the best team and the best players, but we fail to execute.
Exactly. If that happens, Roberts needs to be fired.
Roberts won’t get fired. They make a plan, they stick to it. If it doesn’t work they just blame it on bad luck, not any failing on anyone’s fault. Because they are smarter than everyone else. That way it’s no one’s fault. It’s perfect!
Jeff: I agree with you about the game being dumb and stupid, and I certainly agree with Scott’s comment below. Leaving so many runners on base, many in scoring position is absolutely terrible. What happened to situational hitting? Or squeeze bunting with the right batter and runner on third? As to using Barnes as a pinch hitter, Roberts’ only other choice as a pinch hitter was Vargas. Maybe next time for him? Cody batting might have been better seeing as how he deftly hit a line drive single to left in his previous at bat! O well, hopefully they’ll do better in San Diego, although I am worried that the law of averages because of their prior dominance of the friars is catching up to them! And luck has been with the friars: consider that Lux hits a hard shot with men on turned into a DP, and gets a solid hit both before and after this at bat. Imagine if he got that hit with men on!