The Los Angeles Dodgers began a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, which is also the start of the two teams playing seven games against each other over 10 days.
Even though the Dodgers have been significantly better than the Padres this season and entered with a nine-game lead in the National League West, it was San Diego that struck first in the series.
The Dodgers will now try to avoid dropping the series on Saturday.
Padres 7, Dodgers 1: key takeaways
Walker Buehler sharp, Roki Sasaki not
The Dodgers and Padres had an intriguing pitching matchup with the lightning-rod Roki Sasaki facing former Dodgers World Series hero Walker Buehler. To no one’s surprise, it was Buehler who stepped up against his former team.
“He would love nothing more than to shove it up our you-know-whats,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game about facing Buehler. “We know that.”
And that he did. Buehler pitched 5.1 innings while allowing just one run on three hits, striking out five and walking one.
As for Sasaki, he didn’t have his command and walked five hitters in just four innings. The right-hander allowed three runs on three hits while only striking out two.
All three runs came on a home run from Ty France in the second inning after Sasaki walked the first two hitters he faced.
He also went out for the fifth inning but allowed a leadoff double and walk before being replaced by Jack Dreyer. Fortunately for Sasaki, Dreyer was able to escape the jam and prevent any more runs on his box score.
Dodgers offense shut down
The Dodgers’ only run of the game was a home run by Mookie Betts in the second inning, which put them up 1-0. Before and after that, the offense couldn’t get that extra hit they needed in any of their limited chances.
The offense left six on base, went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and grounded into four double plays. They also had two excellent chances to tie the game, but failed in both instances.
In the sixth inning, Andy Pages took a one-out walk and then Freddie Freeman doubled. Pages could have scored on a better lead but was stopped at third.
Betts was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. Then Max Muncy popped out on the first pitch he saw, a 92.3 mph fastball over the middle of the plate, and Kyle Tucker flied out to end the inning.
In the eighth, Pages and Freeman both singled with one out to again start a rally, but Betts grounded into a double play to end the threat.
Padres break the game open in the 8th
Even with the Dodgers’ struggles, they were still in the game until the eighth inning when the Padres broke it open. San Diego scored four runs against Jonathan Hernández to make it 7-1.
Hernández recorded the first out of the inning, but then allowed a single and two walks to load the bases, then another single, a double and a final single before he was able to record the final out. The middle out came thanks to an outfield assist from Andy Pages to throw out a runner at third.
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