Padres Series Recap: Dodgers Take 2 of 3 From Padres in L.A.

The San Diego Padres lost two out of three games from the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. Overall this series would be average, nothing really spectacular, but some decent games mixed in there for your viewing pleasure.

The pitching would really turn out to be the downfall for the Padres in this series. The offense would do fine except for the second game of the series. But the pitching would be more at fault for the losses in this series.

The bullpen would be very shaky in the series finale and Luis Perdomo would not perform in the second game of the series. The player of the series definitely had to be Yangervis Solarte. He almost seems to have been lost among Padres fans thoughts. You don’t see him mentioned all that often when talking about the positives of the team. Even though he is having a great season batting .279 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI. Solarte would go 6-12 with four RBI and two home runs in the series. He would actually account for all the credited runs in the series finale as well.

Game One: The Other Lefty Named Clayton

The Padres would get a nice start to this series as they would win the first game by a score of 4-2. Both starting pitchers would perform well for their respected teams in this one. For the Padres, Clayton Richard would continue his outstanding form. The lefty would go five innings and only allow one run to score. Richard has just been an extraordinarily great pickup for the San Diego Padres. Richard has already exceeded what was expected of him when the team signed him. As for the Dodgers, the no longer teenager, Julio Urias would also have a solid day on the mound. The Mexican pitcher would go five and a third and only allow two runs on three hits and one walk. Urias would also pick up six strikeouts in his outing as well. The bullpen is what would ultimately be the Dodgers downfall in the series opener. The Dodgers are of course no strangers to faulty bullpens. It probably still pains Dodger fans to even hear the name, Brian Wilson. Well another reliever with a beard, Adam Liberatore would be the pitcher who would give up the deciding runs of the ballgame. Heading into the eighth inning the game would be tied at two runs a piece. Yangervis Solarte would go yard off Liberatore and give the Padres the 3-2 lead. Then Liberatore would leave runners on first and second to J.P. Howell. The lefty would face Brett Wallace, Wallace would prevail and get himself an RBI single. The Friars would come out with a 4-2 lead after the eighth inning.

Brandon Maurer would get the job done in the ninth inning to get his seventh save of the season. The Padres would come out on top to begin this series. Another notable performance in the game would come by Derek Norris. The backstop would drive in two runs off Julio Urias with a long double that would almost clear the yard. One more interesting thing in the game is that the Friars would pick up two stolen bases. However, neither would come from “Freddy The Flash”. Wil Myers and Alex Dickerson would swipe some bases in the series opener. How about Yasiel Puig? The Cuban outfielder would look solid in his return to the big leagues going 2-4 in the game. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what he does going forward not just in the series but in the season. But overall  a great game for the San Diego Padres. The best thing for me from this game had to be Clayton Richard performing yet again. He really is a guy you like to root for and he has been getting it done in his return to the Friars. Richard now stands on a 1.48 ERA as a member of the Padres this season and really has been a revelation for this ball club.

Game Two: Nothing To See Here Folks

The second game of the series really turned out to be an uneventful loss for the San Diego Padres. The Friars would fall 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. There really was not anything spectacular at all from the Padres perspective that stood out. First off the starting pitcher, Luis Perdomo would have a tough day on the hill. Perdomo would allow five runs on nine hits through six innings. After two amazing starts, Perdomo would not be able to continue his form against the Dodgers. The man on the hill for the Dodgers, Rich Hill would look absolutely amazing. Hill would throw six shutout innings in which he would only allow one hit. Obviously the Padres offense would struggle as they would only muster up four hits in the game. The lone run of the game would be provided by Wil Myers in the eighth inning. Myers would get himself a single that would drive in Luis Sardinas.

As for the Dodgers the offensive star for them had to be Josh Reddick. I was personally shocked that Yasiel Puig did not start this game due to his success on Luis Perdomo. Well I guess it did end up working out for the skipper Dave Roberts. Reddick would go 3-4 with a home run in the game. Former Friar, Yasmani Grandal would also provide some damage as he would blast a three run home run. Overall though the performance by Rich Hill is what would lead the Dodgers to victory in this game. This would be a really bad showing for the Padres. This really just turned out to be a game that lacked excitement or anything special in it. No member of the Padres would stand out at all in this game. Hopefully the Padres can at the very least make it a bit more interesting in the series finale.

Game Three: 7-4 Shuts The Door

The finale of this series would not disappoint, the game would end in an intense 7-4 score. Both teams would have their moments throughout the game and would have a decent showing. Unfortunately the Padres would be the ones who would fall in this game. In terms of pitching both pitchers would have it rough in this game. The offense would be more of the highlight of the game. Padres starter, Christian Friedrich would only go four and a third and allow four runs to score. Friedrich definitely seems to be overworked at this point of the season. Perhaps a rest would be what is best for him and the ball club. The Dodgers would have 24-year old Jose De Leon making his major league debut. De Leon would actually look decent despite allowing four runs in six innings. The young pitcher would have nine strikeouts in the game and would not walk a single batter. In terms of offense both teams would have solid days at the plate. The Padres would be the first ones to strike, in the third inning of the game. Yangervis Solarte would blast a two run shot to open up the score.

However, the Dodgers would quickly retaliate in the next half inning. Yasiel Puig would blast a three run shot that would give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. After a quiet fourth inning we then would see an action packed fifth inning. Travis Jankowski would start it off causing mayhem with a bunt, that would cause rookie, De Leon to throw away the ball. Alexi Amarista would score on the play. Yangervis Solarte would then yet again give the Padres the lead, this time via a sac-fly that would drive in Jankowski. The Padres would lead 4-3 after the top of the fifth. The Dodgers would not stay quiet however, in the bottom half of the inning. Chase Utley and Yasmani Grandal would get an RBI single each to put the Dodgers up 5-4. Kevin Quackenbush would be the man who would allow the winning run to cross the plate. The Dodgers and Yasmani Grandal would not stop there however. The former Friar backstop would blast a two run shot off of Ryan Buchter in the seventh inning of the game. That would turn out to be the final blow of the game, the Dodgers bullpen would be impeccable this time out and they would get the W. Closer, Kenley Jansen would get the job done in the ninth inning and the Padres would fall by a score of 7-4. Overall this game would not be a bad one overall. Yes the Padres would end up losing it, but it would be an all right game. At the very least the offense would get the job done this time around. The bullpen would actually be the real problem and would ultimately be the Padres downfall. Hopefully the Padres can bring some similar games in terms of excitement when the Red Sox stroll into town. Until then Friar Faithful, Go Padres!

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.