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Now the Dodgers are on the precipice of being eliminated by the
same Padres in the National League Division Series.
Behind starter Blake Snell, a bullpen that has now worked 16
straight scoreless innings and a third postseason home run by
center fielder Trent Grisham, the Padres defeated the Dodgers
2-1 Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
A Padres win Saturday night with hometown ace Joe Musgrove
starting would eliminate the Dodgers. Los Angeles needs a win to
get the series back to Dodger Stadium for a winner-take-all Game
5.
"We want this pretty badly (Saturday)," manager Bob Melvin said
after the Padres' second straight win. "I mean, you saw it out
there. It was a pretty good atmosphere to play in. They (the
crowd) had a big say in what went on today, too. It felt like
the last couple innings there was so much momentum in the place
that it was hard not to get it done.
"Obviously our pitching was unbelievable tonight, but we were
pretty much inspired the whole game. It was a lot of fun
tonight. It should be pretty similar probably tomorrow night, as
well."
Snell (1-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings and held the Dodgers to one
run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Nick
Martinez, Luis Garcia, Robert Suarez and Josh Hader then worked
3 2/3 scoreless innings, with Hader earning the save.
Martinez followed Snell in the sixth and retired both hitters he
faced, including one strikeout. Garcia struck out two in a
perfect seventh. Suarez had a strikeout while retiring three
straight after giving up a lead-off single to Trea Turner in the
eighth, and Hader fanned two in a perfect ninth.
Starting with the last inning of a Game 2 wild-card loss in New
York and the final two innings of San Diego's elimination win
over the Mets, the Padres' bullpen has turned in 16 straight
scoreless innings, allowing five hits and four walks with 20
strikeouts.
"They're getting us with spin," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts
said of the Padres' pitchers. "They're getting us on the outside
part of the plate. We're not given really any opportunities to
make mistakes, and that's more specific to their bullpen."
The Dodgers were also 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position
Friday, while the Padres were 1-for-10.
The Padres built a 2-0 lead through four innings but had also
stranded eight runners (six in scoring position) against Dodgers
pitchers Tony Gonsolin and Andrew Heaney.
San Diego got on the board in the first against Los Angeles
starter Gonsolin (0-1). Juan Soto doubled with one out and
scored on Jake Cronenworth's two-out single to center. But the
Padres left runners on second and third in both the first and
the second, when Heaney came on to get Gonsolin out of a two-on,
one-out jam.
Grisham made it 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth with his third
homer of the playoffs. Grisham, who hit .184 during the regular
season, is 7-for-18 in six postseason games.
The Dodgers finally got on the board in the top of the fifth
against Snell. Trayce Thompson opened the inning with a bloop
single to right, move to third on Austin Barnes' double to left
center and scored on Mookie Betts' sacrifice fly to right, which
also allowed Barnes to move to third.
But Snell got Trea Turner to foul out, then retired Freddie
Freeman on a grounder to third.
--By Bill Center, Field Level Media
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