Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The streak of the Dodgers winning 10 in a row against the Padres came to a halt tonight in extra innings. After tying the game late, the Dodgers eventually lost 3-2 after a key defensive play by Jurickson Profar.
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For the Dodgers, Tyler Anderson made his debut as a starter after Andrew Heaney went on the IL. He has been effective for the team thus far, but was pretty so-so tonight.
In the 1st he faced the minimum despite a single thanks to a double play, but in the 2nd a lead-off double was eventually cashed in on a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game. The Padres then scored a run in the second straight inning when Jake Cronenworth homered to right to double the lead to 2-0.
After a scoreless 3rd and a clean 4th, he put two on with two outs in the 5th and that was the end of his night. With scoring down a lot, Anderson looked a lot like a fringy starter and had a fringy outing: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 80 Pitches.
To bail him out, Phil Bickford entered and struck out Manny Machado to end the threat and the 5th. Alex Vesia got a 1-2-3 frame in the 6th and Mitch White struck out two in a clean 7th frame.
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On the other side, Yu Darvish wasn’t sharp early. After working around a walk in the 1st, he gave up a single and walked two to load the bases in the 2nd, but struck out Mookie Betts. At the time it seemed important as he had 51 pitches in that span, but then proceeded to retire the next 13 batters in a row and ended up cruising through six shutout innings.
The Padres pen started with Steven Wilson having a clean 7th, but Luis Garcia didn’t have as easy a time in the 8th. Chris Taylor started the inning with an infield single and then Gavin Lux lined a single the other way to put two on. After he struck out Mookie on a 3-2 slider, his night was over.
Bob Melvin managed this like a playoff game, bringing in close Taylor Rogers to get five outs, and he started well by striking out Freddie Freeman. However, he hung a slider to Trea Turner, who yanked it to left for a two-out, two-run double off the base of the wall in left to tie it at 2-2.
Rogers continued in the 9th and hit a batter then gave up a single to produce a threat, but he got out of trouble with an inning-ending double play.
For the Dodgers, the pen continued with Brusdar Graterol in the 8th, who was saved of a lead-off double by Freeman and walked a batter, but also ended his outing with a strikeout.
He gave way to Daniel Hudson in the 9th, who got unlucky on an infield single but sent the game into extras anyway with a strikeout.
Robert Suarez started the extra frame with Taylor on second base, and on a Lux fly ball almost to the wall in left CT3 tried to tag up but was gunned down by Profar to turn two. That was obviously pivotal and gave a scoreless frame to Suarez after Mookie struck out for the fourth time.
Given a tall task, Justin Bruihl entered for the 10th and was immediately greeted with a bunt to move the runner. Austin Nola then hit a medium-deep fly ball for a walk-off sac fly.
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Gavin Lux taking an emergency hack and smirking after almost killing Mookie Betts.
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In shit-ass news, lefty reliever Darien Nunez is headed for Tommy John surgery. Always liked his stuff, but to basically be out until his age-31 season is rough.
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10-4 now.
The series finale will be played early tomorrow at 10:10 AM HT/1:10 PM PT/4:10 PM ET with Clayton Kershaw facing off against Sean Manaea.
