Bullpen falters late as Padres fall to Dodgers 11-10
Credit: AP Photo
Chavez Ravine- Los Angeles, California
Today’s game between the Padres and Dodgers wouldn’t be like last week, where Walker Buehler mystified the Padres offense.
Instead, the Padres dropped a roller-coaster game after another wild performance from the Padres bullpen led to an 11-10 walk-off win for the Dodgers.
Just like yesterday, the Dodgers took the lead thanks to the long ball. Max Muncy and Russel Martin turned two-strike counts into home runs off of Chris Paddack. For Paddack, it was especially frustrating as Russel’s home run came after the catcher called time while Paddack was in the middle of his motion.
The San Diego offense wouldn’t be quite today.
Facing Kenta Maeda, the Padres loaded up the bases in the third inning, with Paddack helping his own cause by hitting an RBI single. Eric Hosmer came up with the bases loaded and, for the first time in his Padres career, hit a grand slam to put the Padres ahead 5-3. A Manuel Margot solo home run in the fourth inning gave the Padres a 6-3 lead. It is his fourth home run at Dodger Stadium this year, the most of any visiting player this season.
WELL ISN'T THAT GRAND 👏👏👏👏
Eric Hosmer crushes this one for 4!@Padres | @TheRealHos305 pic.twitter.com/5ka23qo0Y4
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) August 4, 2019
Unfortunately, Paddack wasn’t nearly as sharp for the Padres as he was in the past. The Sherrif faced choppy waters again in the fourth inning as he allowed three runs to cross the plate as the Dodgers tied the game again. Paddack’s final line for today’s game was four innings pitched with six runs allowed on six hits while walking one and striking out six. The four innings he pitched were the lowest amount he has pitched since June 4th against the Phillies.
After Los Angeles took the lead when Craig Stammen allowed a solo home run, the Padres went right back to work to tie the game up. Manny Machado did just that with an RBI single while Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to record his fifth RBI of the day. Two more RBIs off the bats of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Greg Garcia made the score 10-7 going into the eighth inning.
This is where the Padres’ Achilles heel stung San Diego at the worst possible time. Andres Munoz struggled for the first time in a Padres’ uniform as his command over his 100 MPH fastball abandoned him. He did get two outs, but not before allowing two runs to score on two hits and two walks. Kirby Yates was called upon to get the final out of the inning.
The usually dominate Yates also unraveled in the ninth inning. With Yates and catcher Francisco Mejia struggling to get on the same page, Joc Pederson led the inning off with a double. An impressive throw from Hosmer to Machado erased him at third base. However, a Luis Urias error put Corey Seager on and Muncy’s ensuing double brought home both Seager and Alex Verdugo for the walk-off win.
The Padres will get a day off before traveling to Seattle to take on the Mariners.
I am currently attending San Diego State University while working on achieving a major in journalism. At SDSU, I write for The Daily Aztec while also hosting the sports radio show “Picked Off”, for KCR Radio. A loyal fan of San Diego sports, I hope to bring content that you will enjoy reading.
You forgot to mention the errors this team consistently makes to lose games.