Dodgers 8, Padres 0 – 2024 NLDS Game 4: Mookie Betts sparks offense as bullpen comes up huge to extend series

Chad Moriyama 10/09/2024 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

With their backs against the wall and facing a third-straight disappointing exit in the NLDS, the Dodgers thankfully once again showed that they are mentally tougher than their fans. They jumped out to an early lead and never looked back for once, playing about as complete a game as possible. The bats were given time to do this thanks to a complete pen effort, guided by a Dave Roberts masterpiece to shutout the Padres in an 8-0 win.

Game 5 looms.

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Starting for the Padres on short rest was Game 1 starter Dylan Cease, and he was greeted rudely by Mookie Betts with yet another 1st inning homer that wasn’t robbed, providing an early 1-0 lead.

Cease wasn’t long for the game, as the Dodgers continued their trend of quality at-bats against him. With one down in the 2nd, Gavin Lux drew a walk and Enrique Hernandez singled to corner the runners. After Chris Taylor couldn’t get a bunt down twice, he struck out, but at least he didn’t ground into a double play, because Shohei Ohtani singled on the first pitch to make it 2-0 and knock Cease out of the game.

Bryan Hoeing entered and saw his first pitch knocked for a single from Betts to make it 3-0, though he did end the 2nd by getting Teoscar Hernandez with two on.

Thankfully, they didn’t stop scoring there, as the 3rd started with a Max Muncy double down the line in right. Will Smith then followed by finally getting on track by smoking a homer to center to push the lead to 5-0 in a flash.

After a strikeout, that was it for Hoeing, who gave way to Adrian Morejon. He closed the 3rd with a pair of outs, and continued in the 4th. With one down, he walked Ohtani on four pitches, who got to second after tagging on a flyball to center. Teoscar then appeared to drive him in with a single (or double) down the line in left, but Manny Machado deflected it and somehow it hit the umpire to fall right at Machado’s feet. That allowed Machado to throw Ohtani out at home, who blew past Dino Ebel‘s stop sign.

Unreal fucking shit that always happens to the Dodgers.

Anyway, Morejon got one loud out in the 5th, as Muncy flew out to the deepest part of the park.

Then Jeremiah Estrada entered and got the final two outs of the frame. He also started the 6th, giving up an infield single but then notching a pair of strikeouts. Ohtani then had a patient at-bat where he missed a homer just foul to take a walk, and Alek Jacob entered to get Mookie to popout to end the 6th.

Thankfully, I can continue recapping the offense cause the pen was holding it down. And in the 7th, Jacob hit Muncy with one out, Xander Bogaerts made an error on a double-play ball hit by Smith to corner things, and Tommy Edman laid down a beauty of a safety squeeze to make it 6-0.

Wandy Peralta then entered, but was greeted on his first pitch by a Lux two-run homer that really put the game out of reach at 8-0.

After a single and a wild pitch, he eventually got out of the 7th when Taylor struck out.

——

Oh right, the Dodgers had to pitch as well.

On the other side, the Dodgers were going with a pen game, which started with Ryan Brasier cruising through an 11-pitch 1st inning. Brasier also got the first out of the 2nd before giving way to Anthony Banda, who got a strikeout and then allowed a walk and single before getting a pop out to end the threat.

Surprisingly, that was the end of the road for him, and Michael Kopech entered. He gave up a two-out double to Fernando Tatis Jr. but not anything else in another scoreless inning for him against the Padres.

Alex Vesia entered for the 4th and cruised through a 12-pitch frame, but the 5th started shaky as he gave up a single and then issued a walk to start. However, he rebounded with a strikeout and flyout before turning things over to Evan Phillips, who got Tatis to flyout to center to end the threat.

Phillips continued in what was a bad matchup for him in the 6th, but with no lefties in the pen, he had to face the Padres pair in the middle of the order. But he made it look easy (sorta) with a five-pitch inning, and provided us with Manny pimping a ball to the warning track.

Daniel Hudson was given the 7th, and he got two outs before giving up a triple, but didn’t allow that run to cross to keep the shutout intact.

Surprisingly (because there was nobody else to be fireman if something went wrong), the 8th was given to Blake Treinen. Either way, he allowed just a pair of singles before getting through a scoreless outing.

After Peralta continued for the Padres and got a clean 8th, it was Yuki Matsui for a scoreless 9th, which setup Landon Knack to close out an eight-run lead for the Dodgers. While he gave up a lead-off infield single, that was it for the Padres as he finished the shutout.

Hey, let’s go, man.

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The series is now tied 2-2.

After a day off tomorrow to travel back to Los Angeles, the two teams will meet in a win-or-go-home Game 5 at Dodger Stadium to decide the NLDS. It will start at 2:08 PM HT/5:08 PM PT/8:08 PM ET on FOX. The pitching matchup will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto (maybe?), looking for a better start than his Game 1 effort, up against Yu Darvish, who continued to own the Dodgers in his Game 2 start. That said, first sign of faltering from either and it’s an all hands on deck deal since there’s no tomorrow for either team.

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