The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a 10-2 blowout loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the National League Division Series and now head to the Petco Park with the best-of-five tied at 1-1.
The Dodgers found themselves in the same position two years ago in their NLDS matchup with the Padres. L.A. went on to drop both games at Petco Park to lose the series.
The Dodgers were then swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLDS and now face the possibility of a third consecutive early postseason exit.
“The last couple years haven’t ended how we wanted, so you use it for motivation,” Gavin Lux said after the Game 2 loss.
“We hear what people say and we want to change the narrative. I think the edge comes from that. We want to prove people wrong. We know we’ve got a really good group. It’s just about playing our brand of baseball. I think the edge is good.”
The Dodgers have faced adversity all season long and hope to quickly turn the page. “We’re all really close in here and a lot of us have been in this situation before,” Lux explained.
“Playoff baseball, we know what to expect. It’s just about fighting back and moving onto the next one. That’s the big key, moving onto the next one. Just take it at-bat by at-bat, pitch by pitch, and I think at the end you’re going to be where you want.”
Lux is having a productive NLDS so far, going 3-for-7 with an RBI and run scored. He appeared in 139 games during the regular season, which was his first big league action since 2022.
Gavin Lux helping bottom of Dodgers lineup
The trio of Lux, Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas were key in the Dodgers’ Game 1 win over the Padres as they combined to go 5-for-12.
“Especially knowing that we have our guys in the top of the lineup, our mentality is going to be grinding pitches out, having good at-bats, regardless of the results, of what the score is going to be during the whole game,” Rojas said prior to Game 2.
“That’s going to be 12 at-bats for us there, seven, eight and nine. And if we have good at-bats and we get a lot of pitches from the starting pitcher — like [Saturday], (Dylan) Cease was in trouble just because he threw a lot of pitches, a lot of 3-2 counts, and then Shohei can get a good pitch to hit up in the zone.
“I think it’s quality at-bat that you guys got to see from the bottom of the lineup, so the top of the lineup gets better pitches to hit and actually do damage because that’s what they’re here for.”
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