Dodgers 12, Padres 3
NLDS Game Three
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 5-for-6 with two doubles and three RBI, leading his team to a 12-3 blowout victory over the San Diego Padres Thursday night in Arlington, Texas. The win gave the Dodgers a three-game sweep over their intrastate rival in the NLDS.
Both pitchers faced the minimum in the first inning. Padres starter Adrian Morejon sat the Dodgers down in order. Dodgers starter Dustin May walked the second hitter, shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr, but Tatis’ stolen base attempt failed when he overslid second base. Third baseman Manny Machado, who was batting when Tatis broke for second, ultimately flied to center, ending the inning.
The second inning was a sign of things to come. A leadoff walk by first baseman Max Muncy and a double by catcher Will Smith, up next, put runners on second and third with nobody out for center fielder Cody Bellinger. He hit a run-scoring grounder to second. Instead of getting the out at first, Jake Cronenworth threw to third. It arrived in time to retire Smith and keep the double play in order. That did not matter, since Morejon drilled the next hitter – left fielder A.J. Pollock – to load the bases. Two consecutive strikeouts limited the damage to one run.
Padres Take the Lead
The Padres took the lead in the bottom of the second against new pitcher Adam Kolarek. Consecutive singles by first baseman Eric Hosmer and left fielder Tommy Pham opened the frame. Designated hitter Mitch Moreland, up next, advanced the runners on a grounder to the first baseman with the pitcher covering. Kolarek walked right fielder Wil Myers intentionally to reestablish a force at any base, but that backfired when he walked the next hitter – shortstop Jake Cronenworth – to force in the tying run.
Catcher Jason Castro came up next and smacked a comebacker, leading to a 1-2 force play at home to prevent a run. Grisham followed with a grounder deep in the hole on the left side. Shortstop Corey Seager fielded it with a slick backhand and threw against his body to first, but the speedy Grisham beat it out, giving the Padres a 2-1 lead. New pitcher Julio Urias struck out Tatis to end the inning after the Padres sent eight men to the plate. That began a string of 10 straight Padres that he retired, stretching from the second to fifth innings.
Dodgers Explode
Meanwhile, the Dodgers teed off on the Padres pitching staff, batting around in the third while scoring five runs. It started with a walk by Betts. A wild pitch advanced Betts to second. Seager followed with a hard grounder up the middle. Tatis made a diving stop, but his throw to first skipped along the ground where Hosmer couldn’t scoop it. It went into the Dodger dugout, scoring Betts and advancing Seager to second.
Craig Stammen relieved Morejon to pitch to third baseman Justin Turner. His single scored Seager and gave him the 64th postseason hit of his Dodgers career – tops in team history. Three batters later, with Turner on second, Stammen walked Bellinger intentionally, bringing up Pollock. His single plated Turner and advanced Bellinger to third. Designated hitter Joc Pederson came up next. After Pollock stole second, Pederson singled to left, scoring both runners. Luis Patino relieved Stammen and got second baseman Chris Taylor to fly to right, mercifully retiring the side. After batting around, the Dodgers led, 6-2.
The Dodgers added another run in the fourth and did so again in the fifth. Betts led off the fourth with a double and later scored on a two-out single by Smith. Pollock led off the fifth with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts.
Padres Don’t Go Away
The Padres got a run back in the sixth thanks to two Dodgers gifts. Machado led off with a single and advanced to third when Pollock overran a line drive off the bat of Hosmer. This put runners on second and third for Pham. During his at-bat, Urias balked, scoring Machado and advancing Hosmer to third. Urias settled down, however, striking out Pham and getting the next two hitters to pop up, limiting the scoring to one run.
The Padres threatened in the seventh. With two outs, Grisham walked, and he advanced to third when Tatis followed with a double to left off new pitcher Blake Treinen. Machado, up next, ripped a liner, but it went straight to Seager, who caught it for the third out.
Dodgers Turn It on Late
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the eighth with nobody out thanks to two walks and a single. It went for naught when the next three hitters all struck out. Pedro Baez pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the Dodgers, keeping the score 8-3 going into the top of the ninth.
Then the floodgates opened. After Taylor led off with a fly to center off new pitcher Trevor Rosenthal, Betts walked. Seager popped to short for the second out, but it unraveled after that. A 1-0 pitch hit Turner on the arm, putting him on first while advancing Betts to second. Muncy walked, loading the bases for Smith, who hit a two-run double to right. Bellinger brought home Muncy and Smith with a triple to right. The bleeding stopped when pinch-hitter Gavin Lux – the eighth batter of the inning – struck out.
The Padres managed one baserunner in the bottom of the ninth. That came from a two-out single by reserve catcher Austin Nola. When Grisham struck out looking, the celebration began for the Dodgers as they advanced to face the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS.
Outlook
Urias earned the win in relief while Morejon took the loss. The Dodgers will face the Braves in the NLCS starting Monday. Times and starting pitchers will be announced later. It will be the fourth official postseason meeting, with the previous three coming in the Division Series (1996, 2013, and 2018). It will, however, be the second time that the Dodgers have met the Braves in a playoff for the pennant. In 1959, they played a best-of-three tiebreaker playoff with the then-Milwaukee Braves. The Dodgers swept them in a memorable series that ended on an errant throw by Braves shortstop Felix Mantilla that hit a pebble, shooting past first baseman Frank Torre and allowing Gil Hodges to score the winning run.
Smith became the youngest player ever to have a five-hit game in the postseason. He also became the first Dodger to ever have a five-hit game in the postseason. This came after he had gone 0-for-11 in the first two games of the series. The humble Smith, when told this in the postgame press conference, chuckled and sheepishly said, “I didn’t see that one coming. I’ll take it, though.” He can’t remember if he’s ever had a five-hit game before, saying, “Maybe high school or Little League or something.”
Turner, when asked about his record, acknowledged how nice it was to have it. However, he has his eyes on the bigger picture. “Records are cool. Championships are better. (I’m) glad I could help us get a W tonight, and we’re going to continue going forward. Hopefully, (there are) many more hits to come.” He continued, “We still know there’s a lot of work to be done. We’re not going to get too high; we’re going to enjoy it for a little bit and then start getting ready for the Braves.”
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