Padres vs. Dodgers: Can’t stop LA’s historic run

The San Diego Padres were only able to win one game in a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. The Padres came into the game riding on a three-game win streak after sweeping the San Francisco Giants. San Diego was able to extend their win streak to four games, but the streak hit a brick wall after that. The Padres took the first game of the series, but proceeded to lose the final two games. 

The first game of the series included an efficient offense by San Diego. The Padres scored seven runs on seven hits and three walks. Three different Padres hitters had a home run in this game. Third baseman Manny Machado, left fielder Jurickson Profar and first baseman Brandon Drury each had a home run. Although shortstop Ha-Seong Kim did not have a home run in this game, he continued his solid stretch of hitting. Kim went 2-for-4 in the contest.

Starting pitcher Yu Darvish has arguably been the most consistent starting pitcher for the Padres’ rotation this season. Darvish had yet another stellar performance in this outing. He went seven innings, shutting out the Dodgers while only giving up two hits and two walks. He also had nine strikeouts. Darvish lowered his ERA to 3.26 on the season. The Padres went on to win this game with a score of 7-1.

The second game of the series was the end of the winning streak. The offense completely disappeared, and the pitching was horrendous. The Padres were only able to muster two hits and three walks. The only run scored by San Diego was a solo home run by Machado in the sixth inning. 

Starting pitcher Sean Manaea continued to struggle during this outing. He gave up eight runs in four ⅓ innings pitched. He allowed one walk and nine hits, with three of those hits leaving the park for home runs. Manaea’s ERA skyrocketed to 5.27 on the season. 

A change in the starting rotation could be coming sooner rather than later. This would be especially important in the last month of the season while the Padres are gearing up to make a playoff push. Reiss Knehr came in after Manaea to pitch in relief, but he did not pitch much better. Knehr gave up four runs in less than two innings pitched. The Padres ended up losing this game with a score of 12-1.

The third and final game of the series was a better showing from the offense. Unfortunately, the pitching did not get better in this game. Profar and second baseman Jake Cronenworth were the only RBI producers in the game. Profar hit a two-run double, while Cronenworth had an RBI double.

Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger was not great in this outing. Clevinger pitched in three ⅓ innings and gave up five runs on four hits and two walks. He also had four strikeouts, but his ERA rose to 3.96 for the season. The Padres went on to lose the game by a score of 9-4.

The Padres are now 74-62 on the season. San Diego is tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the second Wild Card spot in the National League. They are two games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Padres will head back home to face the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.