Dodgers 7, Padres 5 – 2024 NLDS Game 1: Shohei & Teoscar come up with the big hits, pen goes 6 shutout

Chad Moriyama 10/05/2024 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

Hello and welcome back to the playoff dream/nightmare, and things certainly looked more like a nightmare for the Dodgers at the outset, as the ghosts of 2023 looked to be haunting them early. Despite getting down and having Yoshinobu Yamamoto chased a third of the way through the game, the Dodgers fought back twice behind big blows from Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez to take the lead, and the pen went six shutout from there to secure a 7-5 victory to start the playoffs against the Padres.

Already better than 2023 at least.

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Making his MLB playoff debut was Yamamoto, who started things off like many Dodger postseasons have recently: like shit.

A lead-off single from Luis Arraez was advanced to second on a passed ball that Will Smith just basically missed, and then he got to third on a wild pitch. After a walk, he came home on a Jurickson Profar groundout.

That wasn’t horrible, but hanging a splitter to Manny Machado was, and it was hammered to put the Dodgers in an early 3-0 hole.

On the other side was Dylan Cease, looking to prevent the Dodgers from getting back into it. While he gave up a one-out walk and single for some trouble, Teoscar only narrowly avoided a double play and Max Muncy struck out to end the threat.

The bats put Cease under duress again in the 2nd, as Will walked and Gavin Lux singled to start, but a Tommy Edman strikeout and a Miguel Rojas pop-up had things looking bleak.

Good thing Shohei Ohtani exists.

3-3 just like that.

While hopes were that Yamamoto would rebound after a 1-2-3 2nd frame, he started the 3rd by giving up a double to Fernando Tatis Jr. After a couple of outs, he then walked Jackson Merrill and frustratingly gave up a two-out, two-run double to Xander Bogaerts to make it 5-3 Padres.

That was the end of the road for Yamamoto, who just didn’t look sharp at all: 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 60 Pitches.

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So like in many postseasons, it was on the bats to rally, and Freddie Freeman started one in the 3rd by singling and stealing second on his bum ankle. Insane.

However, continuing to struggle with RISP, Teoscar struck out, Muncy flew out, and Smith struck out to end the threat.

To their credit, they didn’t stop putting the pressure on. With one out in the 4th, Edman reached on a bunt single, Rojas followed with a single of his own, and Cease was removed for a lefty-lefty matchup for Ohtani in Adrian Morejon. Well, Ohtani responded by blooping a single into center to load the bases, and the lead was cut to one after a wild pitch was uncorked to score Edman.

Mookie Betts was then intentionally walked to load the bases, and Freddie followed by grounding into a force out at home on a great play by Donovan Solano.

That was frustrating, but Jeremiah Estrada then entered and Teoscar responded with a two-run single to center that gave the Dodgers the lead after Merrill sorta misplayed it. 6-5.

The Dodgers got more help from the Padres in the 5th, with Smith starting the inning by reaching and getting to second when Machado threw a routine grounder into the dugout. Another Lux single followed and cornered the runners, and Smith ended up scoring on an Edman GIDP to at least push the lead to 7-5 despite robbing them of a big inning.

Meanwhile, it was on the Dodgers pen to cover six innings, a daunting task for any pen. They started well in the 4th with Ryan Brasier, who gave up a one-out double but nothing else. Brasier also got the first two outs of the 5th before turning it over to Alex Vesia, who got a strikeout.

Vesia then repeated the same formula as Brasier, getting the next two batters in the 6th before giving it to Evan Phillips, who got the final out of the inning. He then was given the 7th, getting through the brutal lefty matchups and Tatis to give the Dodgers a scoreless four outs.

The 8th belonged to Michael Kopech, who struggled, issuing a lead-off walk on four pitches, bouncing back with a strikeout on an eight-pitch at-bat, and then issued another walk in a 10-pitch battle. That was the end of the road, as Dave Roberts turned to Blake Treinen. He started by getting a pop-up to Rojas at short, who made a great play to save real trouble.

However, he then walked a batter to load the bases to add tension or something, before throwing a Slider From Heaven to get a strikeout and escape.

Great pitching, but a great move from Dave to pull Kopech (his best reliever) before things escalated further.

On the other end, insurance for the Dodgers was stifled in the 6th and 7th, as Jason Adam retired four batters in a row and Bryan Hoeing walked a batter but got two outs. Hoeing also started the 8th, giving up a single off himself to Edman, after which Tanner Scott entered. He got Rojas to pop-up a bunt, struck out Ohtani despite Edman stealing second, intentionally walked Mookie, and got Freddie to strike out, leaving the Dodgers 4-16 with RISP tonight.

Still nursing a two-run lead, Treinen trotted back out for the 9th, starting with a strikeout and then a lineout on a diving play from Lux.

However, a Tatis single with two strikes brought the tying run to the plate and a Profar walk gave them the winning run at the plate in the form of Machado. Fortunately, Manny swung at three balls after taking one to start, and that was game.

Never in doubt, right? Right.

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Credit to Dave for risking this and pushing the right buttons today.

Well … that’s a stat.

Freddie with the drugs.

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Well, 1-0.

The Dodgers will look to take a stranglehold on the series in Game 2 tomorrow, starting at 2:03 PM HT/5:03 PM PT/8:03 PM ET on FS1. It’ll be Jack Flaherty, who was pushed back, up against Yu Darvish.

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