The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen collapsed late in the game and it resulted in an 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings. With the defeat the Dodgers have lost their first series of the season. They were the last time in the baseball that had yet to suffer such fate.
Dustin May couldn’t avoid a Fernando Tatis Jr. home run, but he did set a career high with 10 strikeouts.May was perfect through three innings before giving up a leadoff homer to Tatis. He became the fifth player in Padres franchise history to hit home runs in a three-game span, and the first shortstop in MLB history to ever homer in three straight games at Dodger Stadium.
May immediately responded to strike out the next three batters faced in the fourth inning, and he worked around a leadoff walk and stolen base in the fifth to strand the tying run. May also pitched around a walk of Tatis and stolen base in the sixth inning.
With his spot due up first in the bottom of the sixth, May was pinch-hit for. Sheldon Neuse didn’t stick around long as he ambushed the first pitch for a solo home run that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1 and started a five-run inning.
Singles by Mookie Betts and Corey Seager led to a Justin Turner sacrifice fly, and Chris Taylor landed what appeared to be a knockout punch by taking a 3-0 pitch out to right-center field for a three-run homer.
The offensive breakout helped erased some frustration for the Dodgers after managing just two runs despite loading the bases the second, third and fifth innings. Of course, that later came back to haunt them.
Although Joe Musgrove managed to hold the Dodgers to just the two runs, his night came to an end after three innings.
With Kenley Jansen and Scott Alexander both unavailable, the Dodgers bullpen failed to protect a six-run lead over the final three innings.
David Price was first to appear after May, and he ran into trouble after allowing back-to-back singles to open the seventh inning. A Neuse error loaded the bases with one out, and Victor Caratini hit a two-run single before Price could get out of the inning.
Brusdar Graterol also faced a bit of a jam as he walked Tatis to start the eighth and gave up base hit to Manny Machado. Victor Gonzalez inherited runners at the corners and immediately gave up an RBI single to Eric Hosmer.
Gonzalez then issued a walk to load the bases and allowed a second run to score on a force out. Jimmy Nelson entered in the ninth and effectively completed the collapse. The Padres strung together a series of singles that led to two runs scoring for a third straight inning.
The Padres broke through against Garrett Cleavinger, with Hosmer’s sacrifice fly giving the Padres a decided lead. The decision to pitch to Hosmer with one out was curious considering the Padres had just completed a double steal and first base was open.
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