Dodgers On Deck: Dodgers vs Padres - FSM Essential Series Recap #16

Dodgers On Deck: Dodgers vs Padres

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Los Angeles Dodgers (35-15)  |  San Diego Padres (32-19)

 

The Dodgers had a daunting task in front of them this series with the San Diego Padres. This young San Diego team has been dubbed the “Slam Diego” Padres, and they have lived up to it with there stellar hitting in bases loaded situations. The Dodgers needed to find ways around the young hitters of this San Diego team if they want another series win. The Padres pitching also needed to navigate the Dodgers lineup that has shown a different guy or two getting hot each series. 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Series #16

 

Game 1 – Loss 7-1

This was a heartbreaking game for the Dodgers and especially Clayton Kershaw (6.1, 5 H, 3 ER 9 SO’s), who only gave up one run going into the seventh. The other two taxed runs came from men he left on for the reliever. This was a battle until late in the game for both teams. The pitchers slugged it out in a fantastic outing for both guys in a one-run game, for seven hard-fought innings. 

The game gave a look at another night of vintage Kershaw dealing for the Dodgers. The curveball had as much pop as any he’s thrown, and the fastball was being dotted all night. Max Muncy’s dismal fielding at first was ultimately what brought the dodgers into complete free fall in that seventh inning. Muncy had a hard time making a read for a play on if he should throw home or tag first, and he ended up getting no outs on the play because he hesitated so long.

Muncy would then have another bout of misfortune in the same inning when he sailed a throw over  Chris Taylor’s head on an attempt at a double play that again recorded no outs and more Padres crossing home plate. This time he was tagged with an error. 

When the seventh inning ended, and the smoke settled, the Dodgers defense had given up five runs in that one inning after only allowing one through the first six innings of the game. The San Diego Padres have been a scary team with the bases loaded this year, be it the long ball or just crushing hits through the gaps in those situations. Corey Seager (4 AB, 0R, 1H, 1RBI, 1SO) recorded the only run to drive a man in this game, on a night that gave Los Angeles fans only four hits across the lineup and fourteen combined strikeouts for Dodgers hitters.

They lost the game 7-1 and have two more tries to make a run at winning the series.

 

 

Game 2 – Win 3-1

The Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin (7.1, 4 H, 1 ER 2 SO’s) had a season-high on pitches with 90 but started the game with two shutout innings before letting up a run in the third. That would be the only run the dodgers allowed on the night in Petco Park. In his return from the injured list, Justin Turner hit a single that got Mookie Betts to score what happened to be the first run of the game and his first of three hits on the night.

The Los Angeles bats in that first inning were terrific, getting three hits in a row. Cody Bellinger recorded an RBI in the third by bringing in Turner and making the lead now 2-1 after the Padres bunted and scored Jurickson Profar at the bottom of the inning. In the fifth, Edwin Rios hit his fourth bomb of the year and had the final Dodgers score of the game, making it a 3-1 Dodger lead.

The game would stay relatively quiet after the fifth until the ninth when the Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen got himself out of some trouble with the bases loaded to secure his eleventh save on the season and the Dodgers’ win.

 

 

 

Game 3 – Win 7-5

The Dodgers impressively won game three against the Padres to secure another series win and a guaranteed spot in the postseason with that win. The pitching was sub-par in this game. Brusdar Graterol (1.1, 1 H, 1 ER 1 SO, 1 BB) opened the game and had to work through his one and a third. Adam Kolarek followed to finish the second, but it was Dustin May (5.1, 3 H, 3 ER 6 SO, 1 BB) that ate up a bulk of the innings by going five and a third. May’s pitching was back and forth, giving up three hits, two home runs, and three runs in those five but recording six strikeouts.

Scoring came quickly for Los Angeles. Will smith and Mookie Betts recorded two hits apiece, but Smith’s three RBI’S were probably the most important ones because of the final score. Chris Taylor and A.J. Pollock each only had one hit, both solo jacks.

The Dodgers take this close game, Giving Pedro Baez his second save of the season and showing the bullpen can keep up with the offense. Guys like Mookie Betts and Corey Seager are batting one-two, while each is hitting three hundred. This makes for a hard time as a pitcher to navigate this star-studded Hollywood lineup, with a supporting cast of hitters like Bellinger, Muncy, Taylor, and Hernandez. Opposing pitchers are going to have to choose wisely who they may want to pitch around.

Mookie Betts has seemed to start to pull away in the NL MVP race over Fernando Tatis Jr. Betts showed once again all series that he was the best player on the field and in the National League. Tatis Jr., on the other hand, went 1-12 and wasn’t a factor in any of the games. The two-horse race for MVP is now Mookie’s to lose.

 

Colorado Rockies Series Preview

 

The Colorado Rockies are up next. Los Angeles has just clinched its eighth straight playoff birth and happened to be the first team in baseball to do so. Colorado will have a challenging task ahead with the Dodgers, coming off the series win against the Friars. The Dodgers have crushed the Rockies in their series so far this year, so more of the same is expected for this upcoming series. Pitching will be critical as it has been all year. Hitting should come easy against a lackluster Colorado Pitching staff.

 

Scheduled to pitch in game 1 Thursday, 9/17

Dodgers: LHP Julio Urias (3-0) / Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (2-1)

 

 

Schedule to pitch in game 2 Friday, 9/18

Dodgers: TBD / Rockies: RHP Ryan Castellani (1-2)

 

 

Schedule to pitch in game 3 Saturday, 9/19

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-2) / Rockies: TBD

 

 

Schedule to pitch in game 4 Saturday, 9/20

Dodgers: RHP Tony Gonsolin (1-1) / Rockies: RHP Antonio Senzatella (4-2)

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-Rich Decristan – Franchise Sports Media

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