Recap: Dominant Ross Stripling Shuts Down Padres In Series Opener

It seems like every time out as a starter, Ross Stripling is setting a career-high in strikeouts. The trend continued on Friday night, along with another regular occurrence of late. Stripling struck out 10 San Diego Padres hitters, and the Dodgers won the game 4-1. Los Angeles has now won 7 of 8 contests for the second time in what has seemed to be a rough-and-tumble season.

Stripling’s Dominance Continues

Over Stripling’s last three starts, he has 26 strikeouts and no walks. Furthermore, Stripling improved to 2-1 on the season with a 1.74 ERA. The manner in which Stripling has operated – stepping into the rotation from the bullpen and providing dominant performances – has led me to wonder if he’s the 2018 reincarnate of 2017 Alex Wood. Unquestionably, the Dodgers have uncovered something special in Stripling.

Matt Kemp Has a Big Friday Night

Matt Kemp’s wild ride in Los Angeles continues. He didn’t take long to get the party started, either. Chris Taylor and Justin Turner drew walks off Padres’ starter Clayton Richard to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Kemp stepped in the box, and decided it was time to give the Dodgers an early lead.

A blast. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/3xt2L0TngD

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 26, 2018

The home run was Kemp’s sixth of the season. Kemp had three hits on the night. He’s now hitting .338 in his season of resurgence, and is quickly becoming one of the biggest stories of the 2018 Dodgers season – just like everyone had it drawn up right?

Other Notables

Kike Hernandez hit his seventh home run of the year to provide an insurance run for the Dodgers. The bullpen quartet of Pedro Baez, Tony Cingrani, and Kenley Jansen provided 2.1 innings of scoreless relief after Stripling’s exit. Jansen was credited with his 11th save of 2018, throwing a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.

The Dodgers have brought their record to 23-27 on the year, and remain 3 and 1/2 games back in the tight division race.