The San Diego Padres’ efficiency on Saturday may most likely be put in a tutorial video.
Prompt title: How NOT to play a baseball sport.
On an evening the surging Padres had been making an attempt to bounce again from the Dodgers’ opening win on this weekend’s pivotal three-game sequence, one which tied the 2 Southern California rivals atop the Nationwide League West standings, the membership as an alternative placed on an exhibition of poor, sloppy and outright comical execution.
Whereas the once-slumping Dodgers have raised their stage of play the final two nights, the Padres have made errors even Little League coaches could be reprimanding.
Besides of their case, even the teaching seemed to be a part of the issue.
Within the Dodgers’ 6-0 win — a victory that restored their solo lead within the division, and clinched their head-to-head season sequence in opposition to the Padres in case of a tiebreaker on the finish of the yr — San Diego did all it may to provide the sport away from the beginning.
Within the prime of the primary, three of the Padres’ first 4 batters recorded a success in opposition to Blake Snell, the ex-Padre left-hander making his first begin in opposition to the group since leaving in free company on the finish of 2023. However twice, Dodgers catcher Will Smith caught a runner making an attempt to steal second, gunning down Fernando Tatis Jr. after his leadoff single earlier than getting Manny Machado on the again finish of an tried double-steal to retire the aspect.
“We had a plan,” Padres supervisor Mike Shildt mentioned. “And so they made some performs.”
Lo and behold, the plan backfired once more within the second, with Smith throwing out one more runner, Xander Bogaerts, with one more strike to second.
“By two innings,” Snell joked, “he had three outs and I had three outs.”
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers in opposition to the Padres at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
It was the Dodgers’ first sport with three caught stealings since 2021, and it made Smith the primary Dodgers catcher with three individually since Russell Martin in 2010.
“Clearly we really feel that Will is the perfect catcher in baseball in totality,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned. “Tonight, he confirmed it along with his arm.”
And, simply as importantly, Roberts shortly added: “Primarily, they performed 24 outs.”
By some means, the Padres’ pitching and protection discovered a option to be even worse.
Beginning pitcher Dylan Stop started his outing with three-straight walks within the backside of the primary, spraying the ball across the plate whereas visibly annoyed.
After a one-out sacrifice fly from Teoscar Hernández, Stop reloaded the bases with one other free move to Andy Pages, and adopted that with a dangling curveball to Michael Conforto in a 3-and-0 rely that had run full. Conforto was prepared for it, ripping a two-run single into proper. Seven batters in, the Dodgers had a 3-0 lead.
“Undoubtedly you don’t wish to assist him out in that scenario,” Conforto mentioned. “However he fell behind 3-0, and got here again into the zone, and confirmed that he was going to throw strikes. He wasn’t going to place me on. So, being able to hit 3-1, after which being able to hit 3-2, was clearly the plan.”
Dodgers second base Miguel Rojas tags out San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts on a stolen-base try within the second inning. Catcher Will Smith threw out three Padres baserunners Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
Walks continued to abound within the second, with Stop placing Shohei Ohtani and Smith aboard to create extra visitors. This time, the right-hander had appeared to work his manner out of it, after Freddie Freeman hit a deep fly ball that died on the warning monitor in right-center. However on this night time, even routine outs had been no certain factor.
Sensing Tatis converging from proper discipline, middle fielder Jackson Merrill briefly hesitated whereas pursuing the drive, earlier than awkwardly reaching for it with an underhanded try. Predictably, he couldn’t maintain on, the ball hitting the heel of his mitt earlier than falling to the bottom for a two-run error.
The Dodgers, who went on to get six shutout innings from Snell and a second residence run in as many nights from Hernández, would by no means be threatened once more.
“It’s actually good to be on the opposite aspect of issues,” Roberts mentioned, after his membership had for thus lengthy had been the one capturing itself within the foot. “We’ve caught some breaks … however for us to benefit from them is big.”
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani scores on a sacrifice fly within the first inning Saturday in opposition to the Padres.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Instances)
To recap the primary two innings another time:
The Dodgers (70-53) had only one hit, and noticed their beginning pitcher retire solely one of many first 5 batters he confronted — however drew six walks, had been gifted a dropped ball and someway led 5-0.
The Padres (69-54) had 4 hits — however apparently forgot methods to throw up a cease signal, dedicated the most costly of conceivable errors defensively, and watched their beginning pitcher throw 31 balls to solely 27 strikes.
That, children, is decidedly not the way it’s accomplished.
“It simply bought out of hand slightly early,” Bogaerts mentioned. “Clearly slightly, couple of errors.”
Not that the Dodgers appeared all an excessive amount of to thoughts.
Over the past couple months, as Roberts eluded to, that they had been the group on the incorrect finish of sloppy fundamentals. What was as soon as a nine-game division lead evaporated within the area of six weeks, because of un-clutch offense, unreliable aid pitching and one maddening shut loss after one other.
However in Friday’s sequence opener, that they had lastly performed clear baseball, and much more importantly, grinded out a one-run win.
“For those who win the shut video games, that’s the way you construct,” Freeman theorized final week. “Then you definitely’ll rating 9, 10 runs. Then you definitely’ll begin placing some issues collectively. However simply must discover a option to win these shut ones.”
Up to now on this sequence, that prediction has come true.
Not that he, or anybody else with the Dodgers, may have anticipated the Padres to supply a lot self-destructive assist.
“I’m simply completely satisfied that we’re enjoying higher baseball,” Roberts mentioned. “We’re enjoying clear baseball. We’re minimizing the walks, taking walks. Not making outs on the bases, and changing outs when we have to. When you’ve gotten the expertise that we do, you simply gotta type of play good baseball. … So it is a good time to go for the jugular [with a potential series sweep Sunday].”
