Having suffered back-to-back walk-off losses, the Los Angeles Dodgers needed a win Sunday afternoon to avoid being swept by the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. With the Dodgers mired in a four-game losing streak, they handed the ball to Kenta Maeda, who looked to right his woes.
After Colin Rea retired the Dodgers in order in the first inning, Maeda followed suit and ended the bottom of the first with a strikeout of Matt Kemp. In the first at-bat of his seventh consecutive start, Trayce Thompson reached on an infield single with one out in the second inning.
He was stranded, however, as Joc Pederson lined out and Yasiel Puig flied out. Maeda retired the first two batters faced in the bottom of the second, then grazed Brett Wallace’s jersey with an inside fastball, putting him on first base.
Nothing came of it, with Maeda striking out Christian Bethancourt to conclude the frame. Whereas Maeda allowed his first run of the game in the third inning of his previous two starts, Sunday was a different story.
He induced a first-pitch groundout, then struck out Rea and Jon Jay to give him four punchouts through three innings. Corey Seager drew leadoff walk in the fourth, but the Dodgers again couldn’t get any offense going and the game remained a scoreless tie.
CONTINUE READING: Clayton Kershaw makes pinch-hit appearance
