Poor pitching and defense undo Padres in LA
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Dodger Stadium- Los Angeles, California
On Saturday, the Padres looked to put the poor performance of Friday’s 8-1 loss behind them. Mike Clevinger took the mound to try and stop the mini losing streak.
However, it was much of the same on Saturday. Poor pitching and some uncharacteristically subpar defense sunk the Padres. They lost 8-3 in another frustrating contest at Chavez Ravine.
Optimism was abound before the game as the team announced that superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. was set to begin a rehab assignment in San Antonio Saturday evening.
The Dodgers struck first, with a solo homer from Will Smith in the second inning. Smith struck again in the third, with an RBI single off Clevinger.
The Padres quickly responded as Juan Soto beat out an infield hit to begin the fourth. He later scored on a double by Brandon Drury. Jake Cronenworth drove in the tying run with a fielder’s choice. Wil Myers then singled home the go-ahead run, giving the Padres a 3-2 lead.
Put 3 on the board 👏 #TimeToShine pic.twitter.com/PypRUG12ub
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 7, 2022
Unfortunately, the good vibes did not last long. After a single, two outs, and a hit-by-pitch, Clevinger faced off against the struggling Max Muncy, the Padres clinging to a one run lead.
Muncy won the battle, lining a three-run shot over the right field fence, sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy and giving the Dodgers the lead back, at 5-3.
That spelled the end of the night for Clevinger. He totaled 4 2/3 innings, with five earned runs, one walk and three strikeouts.
“They’re good at capitalizing on mistakes,” Clevinger said following the game. “I feel like two pitches cost us the game.”
Adrian Morejon finished the fifth inning without further incident. He also tossed a clean sixth inning.
Things fell apart for the Padres in the seventh inning. A rare Manny Machado error sparked a Dodger rally that led to two runs off of Nabil Crismatt, neither of which were earned.
With the Dodgers leading 7-3 in the eighth, the Padres attempted one last rally. Soto walked, Machado singled, putting the first two runners on. Then after two pop outs and a strikeout, the rally died before it truly began.
The Dodgers added an eighth run in the bottom half with two doubles off of Robert Suarez, fresh off the injured list.
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Overall, it was a similar story to Friday night. Poor pitching put them in a hole and the offense was unable to carry the team back after some shoddy defense. The Padres now enter Sunday desperate to avoid a sweep.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.