Padres 10, Dodgers 2 – 2024 NLDS Game 2: An embarrassing showing by the players and fans as series is evened

Chad Moriyama 10/06/2024 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

After the bats and bullpen of the Dodgers carried them to a dramatic Game 1 victory over the Padres, Game 2 felt like a snap back to reality to recent playoff failures with the starter burying the team in a deficit, the bats struggling, and the opposing team making every defensive play.

The game was frustrating and it was sullied later by fans in the outfield getting into it with Padres players, accomplishing nothing but making the rest of us look bad and perhaps motivating the Padres further, as it was them who got the last laugh in a 10-2 loss to even things up in the series.

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I was planning to meme Jack Flaherty getting through a clean 1st inning at Dodger Stadium by celebrating it like a win. Well, so much for that, as Fernando Tatis Jr. started the scoring early with a solo homer to make it 1-0 Padres.

The bats looked like they tied things up on the other side of the inning against Yu Darvish via a Mookie Betts homer, but Jurickson Profar reached into the stands to rob it. A lot of that is thanks to fans being complacent and allowing it.

The Padres then extended their lead in the 2nd, through frustrating means. Jackson Merrill led off with a single and advanced to third, but only through two groundouts. Flaherty looked to be on the verge of getting out of it, but old friend David Peralta pulverized a pitch to center to make it 3-0 Padres.

In 2024? Really?

Fighting from behind again, the Dodgers looked to respond immediately in their half behind back-to-back Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy singles, and then a Will Smith walk to load the bases with nobody out. However, after a Gavin Lux sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 3-1, Tommy Edman lined a ball right into Luis Arraez‘s glove (.580 xBA) for a double play to end the threat.

After Darvish settled in a bit with a clean 3rd, the 4th saw hard contact but with no results, as Freddie Freeman was robbed of a double by Tatis (.750 xBA) and Muncy was robbed of at least a single by Luis Arraez (.520 xBA).

The Dodgers got a half-chance in the 5th, but couldn’t capitalize. Lux got a one-out single, then exchanged places with Edman on a groundout. Edman stole second to get into scoring position, but Miguel Rojas flew out harmlessly to end the half-chance.

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Speaking of settling in, Flaherty worked around a one-out Tatis double in the 3rd, then got back-to-back clean frames in the 4th and 5th.

The 6th was unfortunately messy, as he hit Tatis in the leg to start, which apparently started some chirping between the two sides. I dunno.

Profar then dropped a bunt for a single, and Flaherty rebounded to strikeout Manny Machado, who he exchanged words with after he took exception to Machado’s nodding or something at the previous close pitch.

That was the end of his road, as Anthony Banda relieved him, but Merrill greeted Banda with a single to make it 4-1 Padres, though Banda did get the next two to escape disaster.

Between innings, Flaherty and Machado continued to chirp at each other, which would foretell things escalating again later.

After the game, Flaherty said that reignition started because of Machado throwing a ball at their dugout.

Anyway, Banda continued in the 7th with an out, and Dave Roberts almost confusingly brought in the struggling Daniel Hudson, who rewarded him with a pair of easy outs.

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Speaking of going back to the tensions, after Darvish got a clean 6th, apparently a fan in left threw a couple of balls in the direction of Profar, which he was understandably upset about.

Then later fans also threw trash in right near Tatis, which led to the game having an extended delay.

Yeah, they were taunting the crowd, and yeah, tensions were running hot, so just talk shit back or something. Throwing stuff at players is just stupid as hell and makes all Dodger fans look like shit because you can’t control your emotions and handle sports.

A lot of the handwringing about Dodger fans after was annoying, as if they would be the only ones to react to being egged on by the players, but two wrongs and all that.

More to my frustration, it also did nothing but motivate the Padres, as Darvish got a scoreless 7th, and then the Padres rallied with two outs against Ryan Brasier with a single and Merill homer to make it 6-1.

Michael Grove then entered and gave up a homer to Xander Bogaerts to make it 7-1 before getting the final out of the inning.

Things got worse in the 9th as Edgardo Henriquez entered and gave up a Kyle Higashioka homer, a single, a Tatis homer, and another single before getting out of it.

Meanwhile, Tanner Scott and Alek Jacob closed the game out of the Padres in the 8th and 9th, with Muncy hitting a Chris Paul homer off the latter to make it 10-2.

That was it, though.

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1-1 now.

Day off to travel to San Diego tomorrow, then Game 3 at 3:08 PM HT/6:08 PM PT/9:08 PM ET on FS1. It’ll be Walker Buehler looking to repeat his last start of the season against Michael King.

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