Padres 5, Dodgers 4: A game of Heath Hembree in high leverage importance

After a 40-minute rain delay, this game finally ended in 10 innings with the Dodgers coming out on the wrong end of things as the Padres won 5-4.

Whatever, I guess.

======

Mike Clevinger started the game with back-to-back strikeouts in the rain, but Freddie Freeman got ahead in a 3-1 count, got a fastball in the middle of the plate, and hammered it to deep center for a solo shot and the game’s first run.

Opposing him was Dustin May, coming off one of the worst starts of his career against the same Padres. He showed some of the same issues in the 1st by issuing a walk, but it was the 2nd that was indicative of his night. A bunt attempt right back to him was mishandled by May for a “single”, then later a one-out “walk” on a 3-2 pitch that caught the zone with the runner going (could’ve been a double play) put two on. Trent Grisham made it count immediately with a three-run homer, doing so with his fly down to add insult to injury.

The Dodgers did fight back immediately in the 3rd, as they loaded the bases with one out behind a Chris Taylor single, Mookie Betts getting hit, and Trea Turner singling. They cashed in a pair of runs to tie things up with Freddie hitting a sacrifice fly to deep center and Will Smith scorching a single.

Then in the 4th Trayce Thompson continued his onslaught in 2022, hammering a homer to left for a 4-3 lead, his ninth.

After May worked around back-to-back singles in the 3rd, he got his first 1-2-3 frame in the 4th, but the 5th got ugly again. With one down he issued a walk to Juan Soto, who then scored on a single to right from Manny Machado that Mookie literally kicked for a two-base error to tie the game. May then added to the problems himself by failing to field another comebacker, the only positive being it didn’t score Machado from third, with this one ruled an error to corner the runners. Yet after all that, he somehow managed to buckle down and escape the inning with no further damage allowed and a 4-4 tie intact.

Not great, but certainly could’ve been worse. Need to watch the command as he ramps up for the playoffs: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB (1 HBP), 3 K, 82 Pitches.

Clevinger was done after five, and the battle of the pens made things effectively boring in their effectiveness. The Padres pen got five scoreless frames while giving up just a walk and a single, including not allowing the ghost runner to move in the 10th.

The Dodgers pen did their job for the most part as well. Caleb Ferguson worked a perfect 6th, Chris Martin got four outs while only giving up a single, and Phil Bickford got the final two outs of the eighth despite giving up a single of his own. Perhaps most impressively, Craig Kimbrel continued his run in the 9th with a perfect frame that included a ton of strikes.

Unfortunately, Heath Hembree was in for the 10th and he gave up the game-winning walk-off single to Jake Cronenworth.

======

Tomorrow’s game will be a bit earlier at 2:40 PM HT/5:40 PM PT/8:40 PM ET, though there’s a chance rain impacts that start as well. Julio Urias will face off against Blake Snell.

About Chad Moriyama

Avatar photo
"A highly rational Internet troll." - Los Angeles Times