The San Diego Padres won Game 2 of their postseason game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Wednesday, tying their playoffs series at 1-1. After a back-and-forth run exchange, San Diego was only able to kick off its offense starting in the sixth and seal the win later in the eighth inning.
Padres shortstop Jurickson Profar led the team’s desperate effort to clinch the win in the top of the sixth inning. Profar had an RBI single after third baseman Manny Machado made a snag when Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner smacked Yu Darvish’s pitch to the left.
The Dodgers tried to rack in more runs but ended up scoreless from the fourth inning onward. An otherwise dominating three-straight first-inning start from Los Angeles was thwarted by the visiting team at its home turf, Dodgers Stadium.
After winning their three wild-card game series over the New York Mets, the underdog Padres caught the attention of MLB fans. Their strong play continued against the Dodgers in Game 2, with LA struggling to up its offense.
Padres bounce back, waste of opportunity for Dodgers
For the Padres, losing Game 2 was not on their main agenda this postseason considering this is their second wild-card berth since 2020. In addition to that, San Diego has yet to win any World Series title since it was established in 1969. It is also important to note that the franchise’s last West Division title was claimed way back in 2006.
These likely motivated the franchise to win Game 2, and after Dodgers reliever Clayton Kershaw gave away an easy pitch to Machado, to which the slugger returned with an RBI double, the Padres knew exactly they might be able to clinch a win.
The Dodgers were given a few days to prep this postseason, while the Padres had to risk it all against the Mets. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and his men were on point on Wednesday, taking over the first three innings to themselves and hitting one run in each inning. However, their sloppy play cost them the win. Roberts admitted the franchise had come short, saying, “We weren’t clean.”
Reflecting on the loss, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said forfeiting to the Padres was a hard pill to swallow. When asked whether it was a missed opportunity, Muncy replied, “Maybe a little bit.”
“We got to be better in certain situations. Hats off to those guys. They come in and they’re executing their pitches with really good stuff. So we got to make the adjustment. We had some good situations in our favor there and we didn’t get the job done. It’s a little frustrating,” Muncy said.
The Dodgers played without 2022 All-Star reliever Tony Gonsolin, who had been on the sideline since August for a forearm strain. The player has yet to return to the main roster as he is still recovering from the injury.
The team has confirmed that Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson will return in Game 3, but for various reasons, the former is expected to play only for four innings. At the same time, two Padres pitchers, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove, will start in the next game after being sidelined in Game 2.