Dustin May turned in one of the more dominant starts of his young career and AJ Pollock the Los Angeles Dodgers withstood a similarly impressive outing from Dinelson Lamet for a 5-2 comeback win against the San Diego Padres.
Heading into Tuesday’s matchup, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned first-pitch strikes as being key for May getting through a lineup for the third time. The rookie right-hander did exactly that, starting seven of the first eight batters off with a strike.
However, May hit Francisco Mejia with a curveball in the dirt on an 0-2 count, which wound up leading to the trouble. The Padres’ first baserunner of the game was cashed in two batters later on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s RBI double down the right-field line.
Joc Pederson and Max Muncy relayed the throw to the plate in time but Austin Barnes was unable to apply the tag as Mejia barreled into him.
Then in the fourth, Jake Cronenworth punished a hanging curveball from May for a two-out solo home run that doubled the Padres’ lead. The two runs was all May allowed as he collected a career-high eight strikeouts over six innings.
His effort was largely matched by Lamet, who had a no-hitter through five innings. He retired Joc Pederso and Max Muncy in the sixth but kept the inning alive by hitting Turner. Cody Bellinger then broke up the no-hitter with a line drive into center field, and Corey Seager tied it with a two-run single that also knocked Lamet out of the game.
Craig Stammen’s throwing error on a dribbler back to the mound allowed Barnes to reach with two outs in the seventh inning, and led to pinch-hitter AJ Pollock delivering a game-winning RBI double.
Chris Taylor’s RBI single provided insurance in the eighth, and Pollock tacked on more with a solo home run in the ninth inning.
Turner makes Dodgers franchise history
Turner set a Dodgers record when he was plunked as it marked the 74th time he’d been hit by a pitch. He passed Zack Wheat, who was hit 73 times in 2,322 games with Brooklyn. Turner reached the mark in his 766th game with the Dodgers.
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