Dodgers Postgame: L.A. Falls to San Diego in 10 Innings; Magic Number Still 6
The Dodgers lost to the Padres, 5-4, in extra innings Friday night, losing on a walkoff single by Jake Cronenworth to score Juan Soto.
Heath Hembree took the loss for Los Angeles on the unearned run scored by the zombie runner. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts intentionally walked Manny Machado to start the inning, and after Hembree struck out Josh Bell looking for the first out, Cronenworth lined a base hit to right. Mookie Betts came up firing, but he never really had a shot at getting Soto.
With the loss, the Dodgers’ magic number remains at 6 to clinch the NL West, which means it won’t happen this weekend. Los Angeles came in needing a sweep to clinch in front of the home crowd at Dodger Stadium South.
More command issues for May
Dustin May started and went just five innings in this game, throwing 82 pitches with just 47 strikes. He allowed four runs, three earned, while striking out three and walking three.
The weather was terrible for this game, with a steady rain falling for most of May’s five innings. It’s impossible to really know how much of the poor command was related to the rain and how much was a continuation of his last start, when he walked five in five innings against these same Padres.
May’s next start will come in Arizona, where at least we know the weather will be dry.
Tough luck after a rough call
May appeared to have gotten out of the second inning unscathed, when a 3-2 pitch perfectly painted the bottom of the strikezone and Will Smith threw a strike of his own down to second base to nail Cronenworth trying to steal.
Unfortunately, home-plate umpire Jim Wolf missed the call on the pitch, calling it ball four instead of strike three and keeping the inning alive for the Padres. Of course, Trent Grisham then hit a three-run homer to put the Padres ahead 3-1.
Big ball and small ball
The Dodgers’ first run came on a home run to center field by Freddie Freeman in the first inning.
Came through drippin'. pic.twitter.com/Ph71i3UofG
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 10, 2022
Their fourth run came on a homer to left by Trayce Thompson, hitting home runs in front of the home fans at Petco Park just as he envisioned when he signed with the Padres in the offseason.
Trayce being Trayce. pic.twitter.com/3g7Bsdmsyw
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 10, 2022
In between, they put together a rally on a single, a bit-by-pitch, another single, a sac fly, and an RBI infield single to tie the game at three.
Defense blips again
The Dodgers made two errors in the fifth inning, allowing the tying run to score the tying run and putting the go-ahead run on third with one out. With Soto on first base and one out, Machado ripped a line drive single to right field, and Betts booted the ball as he raced over to cut it off, allowing Soto to scored and Machado to go all the way to third. Bell then hit a comebacker that May couldn’t handle, putting runners on first and third.
May worked a Houdini act to get out of the jam, getting Cronenworth to hit a fly ball to center that wasn’t deep enough to score Machado, followed by an inifield popuo by Ha-Seong Kim to end the inning and preserve the tie, which lasted until the game-winning hit in the 10th.
Up next
The Dodgers and Padres continue their series on Saturday at 5:40 pm PT, with Julio Urias taking on Blake Snell.
We’re not playing well at all. Hope we don’t collapse in the playoffs again. Let’s be real, we have to win a full game WS title to gain respect. Roberts needs to be fired.
LA was robbed! In the 2nd inning May threw a clear strike that should have been strike 3, and the runner trying to steal 2nd was out, meaning the inning was over with no runs scored. But the umpire (who did a horrible job all game) called it a ball and put the batter on base, so with 2 guys on the next batter hit a 3 run homer. That was the difference in the game. LA won that game, it was stolen from them.