Dodgers 6, Padres 5
NLDS Game Two
Cody Bellinger smacked a home run and robbed Fernando Tatis, Jr. of one that would have put the Padres in the lead as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres, 6-5, Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas.
Dodgers lefty and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who has had some infamously rough postseason starts, pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first. Padres starter Zach Davies survived a leadoff single by Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts to respond with a scoreless bottom of the first. Padres designated hitter Tommy Pham led off the second with a single and scored when right fielder Wil Myers followed with a double. Kershaw, however, retired the next three batters – the first and last via the strikeout – to limit the damage to one run.
Dodgers Respond to Early Padres Lead
Davies ran into trouble in the bottom of the third when left fielder A.J. Pollock and catcher Austin Barnes opened the frame with consecutive singles. Two batters later, shortstop Corey Seager ripped a hard grounder down the first-base line for a two-run double, giving the Dodgers the lead. Seager scored when first baseman Max Muncy singled with two outs. When designated hitter Will Smith, up next, hit a deep fly to the track in center, Trent Grisham made the catch as he crashed into the wall, retiring the side with the Dodgers holding a 3-1 lead.
The Padres put runners on the corners in the top of the fourth but could not bring them across. Bellinger – the center fielder – led off the bottom of the inning with a blast to center. It cleared the wall for a homer, extending the lead to 4-1. After two quick outs, the Dodgers threatened to extend their lead via the two-out rally. Barnes singled, and when Betts followed with a single to deep left, Barnes tried to take third. But a perfect throw by Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar nabbed Barnes at third, ending the inning with the Padres pumping their fists.
Padres Threaten, but Bellinger Saves the Day
Kershaw continued rolling in the fifth, sitting the Padres down in order. Seager led off the bottom of the inning with a double but remained there as the next three hitters all grounded out. In the top of the sixth, the Padres narrowed the gap to 4-3 thanks to back-to-back homers by third baseman Manny Machado and first baseman Eric Hosmer. “I probably came out in the sixth and didn’t quite have my stuff like I wanted it to,” Kershaw said. “I felt fine physically, but it wasn’t coming out quite like it had been in the first few innings. Manny’s ball was a slider that’s kind of what he hits – down and in. It just wasn’t a good slider. Hosmer, I think we went in there one too many times.”
The bottom of the sixth saw Davies leave the game in favor of Emilio Pagan, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Blake Treinen took the hill for the Dodgers in the top of the seventh, and he had a good start, getting two quick outs. However, he hit the next batter – Grisham – bringing flame-throwing Brusdar Graterol into the game to face Tatis with a runner on first. A balk advanced Grisham to second before Graterol even threw a pitch. Then he threw one – a 99-mph sinker – and Tatis crushed it to dead center. Bellinger said, “I turned around as fast as I could, got to the fence, and saw that it was robbable.” He leapt at the wall, reached over the top, and plucked the ball out of the air, robbing Tatis of a two-run homer.
Dodgers Extend the Lead
The catch fired up the Dodgers, and they showed it in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff walk by Barnes against new pitcher Pierce Johnson put a runner on first for Betts. He hit a grounder to short that had the makings of a 6-4-3 double play, but he hustled his way up the line and beat the relay throw. Seager followed with a single, putting runners on first and second with one out for third baseman Justin Turner. This ended Johnson’s night as the Padres brought in Drew Pomeranz. On the first pitch, Betts and Seager took off on a double steal. Both were safe without a throw. Turner took advantage, sending a fly to left that was deep enough to score Betts after being caught. Muncy, up next, singled Seager home, and when the inning ended, the Dodgers held a 6-3 lead.
Padres Create Ninth-Inning Drama
This held until the top of the ninth. Kenley Jansen entered the game to close it out. He fanned Myers for a quick first out. A single and double by second baseman Jake Cronenworth and pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland, respectively, made it a 6-4 ballgame. After catcher Austin Nola popped to the catcher in foul territory, Grisham lined a single to right-center. That scored Moreland and brought Tatis to the plate as the go-ahead run.
Out came Jansen in favor of Joe Kelly, who walked Tatis and Machado to load the bases for Hosmer. On a 1-2 count, he ripped a hard grounder. It went straight to the second baseman, however, and the throw to first was in time, giving the Dodgers the narrow victory and a 2-0 series lead. “You have to give credit to Tatis and Machado,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They spoiled some good pitches, took good pitches, and found a way to earn walks. Fortunately, Joe kept competing and made a pitch to get Hosmer to ground out. It was, obviously, a big, big win.”
Outlook
Kershaw (2-0, 1.93 ERA in the 2020 postseason) earned the victory while Davies (0-1, 10.29 ERA in the 2020 postseason) took the loss. This ran Kershaw’s career postseason record to 11-11 with a 4.32 ERA in 34 games (27 starts) and 173 1/3 innings. After the game, he said, “My slider wasn’t as good tonight as it was against the Brewers the other night, but (I was) able to grind it out through six. Fortunately, we got some runs tonight, which was awesome, and we got a win.”
Game Three is Thursday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington once again. The Padres will be the designated home team, and they will start lefty Adrian Morejon (2-2, 4.66 ERA, 25 K; 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 K in the 2020 postseason). Facing him will be Dustin May (3-1, 2.57 ERA, 44 K; 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 K in the 2020 postseason) with a chance to close out the series. First pitch will be at 6:08 Pacific.
Main Photo
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