Following their first series win of 2024 against the Chicago Cubs, the San Diego Padres made it two in a row and took the rubber match of the three-game set up the I-5 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres tied their franchise record by drawing 14 walks from Dodgers pitching en route to a 6-3 victory and back-to-back series wins at Dodger Stadium, dating back to September 2023, for the first time since 2013. 

Padres skipper Mike Shildt handed the ball to right-hander Yu Darvish, coming off his rough four earned runs in three innings pitched in Monday’s thrilling 9-8 comeback win against Chicago.

For Dave Roberts and the Dodgers, veteran southpaw James Paxton got the start, entering the outing with a 1.64 ERA over 11 innings pitched.

After Friday’s assertive 8-7 come-from-behind win in which Manny Machado, Ha-Seong Kim, Jake Cronenworth, and Fernando Tatis Jr. all crushed home runs, the offense was quiet in Saturday’s 5-2 defeat, as Dodgers starter Gavin Stone took a perfect game into the sixth frame.

Sunday’s game also began slow offensively, as the Padres missed out on a major scoring opportunity in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Cronenworth grounded a knuckle curveball to Mookie Betts at shortstop to end the frame with a 6-6-3 double play.

However, the Friars jumped on the board first in the fourth inning when Machado smoked a 105-MPH and 418-foot moonshot to left-centerfield. Three of Machado’s four round-trippers in the young season are off Dodgers pitching.

Sweet swingin' Manny 😍 pic.twitter.com/MHxc9ulSSS

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 15, 2024

“I just see a guy getting more comfortable,” Shildt said in an interview with 97.3 The Fan when asked about Machado’s recent offensive performance. “Getting on time. Driving the ball. Getting the barrel to any pitch. Using the whole field. Looking like Manny.”

Unfortunately for the Padres, the resilient Los Angeles offense answered back immediately. First, Freddie Freeman crossed the plate to tie the score 1-1 on a Will Smith single. Then, Max Muncy delivered the big blow with a two-run home run over the Dodger bullpen to go ahead of the Friars 3-1.

After five innings of three earned-run baseball, Shildt relieved Darvish and went to Enyel De Los Santos and Yuki Matsui to combine for three outs in the sixth.

Roberts removed Paxton after he issued his career-high eighth walk of the night. With the bases loaded and no one out, Luis Campusano grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that allowed Machado to score, the Padres’ third twin killing of the evening.

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However, Jackson Merrill scorched a single to score the tying run in Jurickson Profar.

The Friar offense delivered in the seventh. Xander Bogaerts led off the frame with his second walk before Tatis Jr. drilled a 114-MPH bullet single that allowed Bogaerts to advance to third. Cronenworth, who had grounded into two double plays on the night, loaded the bases with a walk.

Following the first out of the inning on a Machado infield fly pop-up, Profar, who had been called “kinda irrelevant” by the Dodger backstop Smith the night before, came through with a very relevant 397-foot bases-clearing double off the centerfield wall to give the Padres a 6-3 lead.

That's a pretty relevant swing. pic.twitter.com/DzgX9DlT7f

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 15, 2024

 

To close out the game and series, right-hander Robert Suarez toed the slab. Entering the save situation, the fireballer had thrown 45 consecutive fastballs and not allowed a single hit on any of them. Once again, Suarez retired the side with just heaters as he enforced a game-winning double play.

With back-to-back series wins between the Cubs and Dodgers, the Padres look to take the positive momentum to their next series against the Milwaukee Brewers.