Dodgers shut out Padres 5-0 to force rubber match
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Teoscar Hernandez breaks the game open with a grand slam in the 6th inning to force a rubber match for the finale on Sunday.
The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers met for Game 2 of the three-game series in America’s Finest City. LA responded with a win in Game 2 to even the series at one game each. SD fell to (21-21) while LA improved to (27-14).
The runs stay hard to come by for San Diego in this series. Just two Friars have touched home plate so far in two games.
Freddie Freeman got the scoring started early with a homer to right field in the first inning to put LA up 1-0. He followed up his first AB with an opposite-field knock for a double in the fourth. The former Atlanta Brave had the only two RBIs for the Dodgers in the series until Hernandez hit a grand slam in the 6th inning.
Teoscar Hernández brings them ALL home with his 11th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/ypkmHjIIjG
— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2024
That slam would break the game open for the Dodgers. It turned out to be the only insurance they needed, as the Padres bats did not show up on Saturday night. San Diego finished with just six hits; however, it ended with more than the Dodgers, who had five.
The bullpen struggled also as Adrian Morejon walked two hitters, leading to Enyel de Los Santos coming in and giving up the round-tripper to Hernandez. Outside of Robert Suarez, the bullpen is struggling.
The Padres turn to Yu Darvish for the finale as the Friars aim to take back-to-back series against their rivals from up north. Walker Buehler toes the slab for Los Angeles.
James Paxton
Paxton brought his A-game on Saturday night. The southpaw allowed just two hits in the first four innings, and K’d up three Padres hitters. He would go on to give the Dodgers a quality start at six innings, four hits allowed, and four Ks. He lowered his ERA to 2.58.
Matt Waldron
Waldron, or “Matty Knuckles,” as the Padres fans like to call him, certainly impressed against the Dodgers. After allowing a bomb to Freeman early, he responded by not allowing a hit until Freeman doubled in the fourth inning. He found himself in a tough jam as the double was to start the inning, but got the next three hitters out while tallying his 5th strikeout of the evening.
Freeman would be the only one to knock a hit against Waldron, but after walking Shohei Ohtani in the 6th, he was replaced by Morejon to end his outing.
Waldron ended the night allowing two runs with six K’s and two walks in 5.1 innings. His ERA now sits at 5.49.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.
Waldron pitched well enough to get a win but Padres should not expect to sit three regulars and still beat a team like the Dodgers. Campy, Crony and Merill sat the bench.