Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Diego Padres (9/16/20) — Final: LAD 7, SD 5

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Dustin May ate the bulk of the innings, but a battle of the bullpens is won by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeat the San Diego Padres in the series rubber match, 7-5.

Mookie Betts opened the game with a base hit off of Adrian Morejon. He stole 2nd base during Justin Turner’s at-bat, who saw nine-pitches before flying-out. Morejon stranded Betts with a strike-out of Max Muncy. Brusdar Graterol, slated as the Dodgers’ “opener,” walked Trent Grisham on four-pitches at 101mph, but erased it with a double-play of Fernando Tatís Jr.. Despite not having command of the fastball, Graterol got Manny Machado swinging to face the minimum. Morejon struck-out Will Smith and Cody Bellinger to start the second, but fell behind 2-0 to AJ Pollock. He left a fastball over the middle, and Pollock crushed it to center field for a solo home run, getting LA on the board first. Graterol got the first out of the bottom frame before allowing a double to Wil Myers. Adam Kolarek relieved him, and after a walk, Jason Castro’s single tied the game for the Padres at 1. Kolarek walked an additional batter, but left the bases loaded with a ground-out of Grisham to escape. It’s worth mentioning, that was Kolarek’s first poor outing of the year, and he still managed to only allow the lone inherited run to score. Gavin Lux reached on an error to leadoff the third, and San Diego went into their bullpen. Betts was robbed of a hit by Tatís Jr., but reached on a fielder’s choice. He stole 2nd again and advanced to 3rd on ball-4, a wild pitch, to Corey Seager. Turner hit a ground-ball, and Betts was tagged out in between 3rd and home plate. A very good peice of 2-strike hitting by Muncy resulted in a double up the line, and the Dodgers grabbed a 2-1 lead. Smith’s check-swing roller was fielded by Joey Lucchesi, who slipped and threw late to 1st, allowing Turner to score, making it 3-1. Dustin May, originally scheduled to start this game, entered out of the ‘pen in the bottom of the third to simulate his possible role in the postseason. He struck-out Tatís Jr., and erased Machado’s single with an inning-ending double-play of Jake Cronenworth. Luis Perdomo pitched a quick frame in the fourth, and May did the same. Betts began the fifth with a single to center, and then stole his third bag of the game. Turner walked, and Smith’s double into the gap scored a pair. Subsequently, Bellinger’s single to the opposite field brought home another, and LA pulled ahead 6-1. May worked around a 2-out walk in the home half, and Chris Taylor launched a solo shot in the sixth that added a run for the Dodgers. May cruised through his fourth scoreless frame of work to conclude the inning. The top of the seventh was brief, and Lux’s fielding error led to a 2-run homer by Jurickson Profar, pulling the Padres to within 7-3. May ended up striking-out the side to finish the inning. After LA went 1-2-3 in the eighth, May was taken deep by Machado, making it 7-4. That prompted May to be pulled, and Victor Gonzalez finished the inning with ease. Zack McKinstry struck-out in his first Major League at-bat, pinch-hitting with two-outs in the ninth; however, we can expect big things from him in the near future. Gonzalez got the first out of the bottom of the ninth, but subsequently hit a batter. Pedro Báez was then called upon, and after defensive indifference, Profar singled home a run. Báez responded and put the finishing touches on the ballgame, getting the final two outs.

After losing the opener, the boys in blue respond with back-to-back wins over the Padres, earning the series victory at Petco Park to extend their NL West lead to 3.5 games. They’ll head up to Denver, and will start a 4-game set with the Rockies tomorrow from Coors Field. Julio Urías, 3-0 with a 3.53 ERA, comes off a spectacular performance last weekend. Looking for consistency though, Urías’ start will be an important one for him, as he hopes to solidify his postseason role. Left-hander Kyle Freeland, 2-1 with an ERA of 3.54, is having a very uplifting bounce back season after a rough 2019. He starts for the Rox who push towards the final playoff spot. 5:40pm first pitch. Go Dodgers!