Yu Darvish set a career-worst mark for a second time in five starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he allowed five runs and only managed to go three-plus innings in a 7-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. The outing was the shortest of Darvish’s career.
On Aug. 16, he finished with an all-time low of two strikeouts to snap a string of 124 consecutive Major League starts with at least three strikeouts. Since throwing seven scoreless innings in his debut with the Dodgers, the right-hander owns a 6.16 ERA in his last four outings.
Justin Turner’s RBI double provided Darvish with a 1-0 lead before he stepped foot on the mound. He allowed a double to Erick Aybar, failed to beat Cory Spangenberg to first base on a grounder, then got a groundout but the tying run scored in the process.
Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI single in the top of the third broke a tie, but the Dodgers’ lead was again short lived. Carlos Asuaje’s solo home run in the bottom half of the inning tied it, and the Padres soon after took a 3-2 lead behind a trio of consecutive base hits.
Matt Szczur’s two-out, two-run double capped off a four-run third inning for the Padres. Darvish failed to retire either of the two batters faced and gave way to Edward Paredes with runners at the corners.
Paredes struck out a pair and Fabio Castillo got Jabari Blash swinging to get the Dodgers out of the jam. For the 28-year-old Castillo, the relief appearance was his MLB debut. He wound up throwing 1.1 scoreless innings.
Yangervis Solarte, who hit a walk-off home run during the day game, delivered a pinch-hit RBI single off Brandon Morrow in the bottom of the seventh. The hit was only the second and the run was the first the Dodgers’ bullpen had allowed on the night.
After a walk loaded the bases, Jose Pirela’s line drive carried over Chase Utley’s outstretched arm and into center field for an RBI single that knocked Morrow out of the game.
Four Padres relievers combined to throw 4.2 scoreless innings, with only a one-out single allowed to Kiké Hernandez in the ninth. Prior to that, Gonzalez’s one-out double in the fifth had the Dodgers’ last baserunner.
The doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers was the second for the Padres, as they accomplished as much at Dodger Stadium during the 1988 season.
