Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Wow. This team is rolling. The offensive outburst for the Dodgers on Sunday wasn’t quite up to their usual standards, but everything else about their performance was damn near perfect. Led by a brilliant display of pitching from Tyler Anderson, the Dodgers got great defense and some timely hitting to roll to a 4-0 win over the San Diego Padres. The victory completed the three-game sweep of the Friars, and buried them 15.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Any flicker of hope of Padres getting back into the race has been extinguished. It was a glorious weekend of baseball.
Belli bomb and Freddie clutch, Part I
Both Tyler Anderson and Padres starter Yu Darvish got out of the chute well in this game, putting up zeroes in their first two innings. However, after Anderson pitched a scoreless top of the third, Darvish could not replicate the feat in the bottom of the frame. After Chris Taylor flew out for the inning’s first out, Cody Bellinger came to the plate hitting out of the nine hole.
After watching a sinker catch the corner for a strike, Belli watched two straight pitches land low to put him ahead 2-1 in the count. Then he saw that same sinker again, but this one Darvish left out over the plate a little. Belli unloaded on the pitch, putting a nice opposite field swing on the ball. It sailed high over the head of center fielder Wil Myers and found a home amidst the spectators in the left centerfield home run seats. A souvenir for a lucky fan, and a 1-0 lead for the Dodgers.
But the Dodgers weren’t done in the inning. Mookie Betts attacked the very next pitch for a solid double to left center. Then, two pitches later, Trea Turner hit a gapper that had double written all over it had it not been for a nice play from Trea’s former Nats teammate Juan Soto. Now with two out, it was up to Freddie Freeman to deliver the RBI. But as anyone who’s been following the Dodgers this year knows very well, delivering with runners in scoring position is kind of what Freddie does. He went the opposite way for a two-out RBI single and Betts scampered home with the second run of the inning.
Anderson shines in his start
Now pitching with a two-run lead, Tyler Anderson continued his brilliant afternoon. Pitching efficiently as we’ve seen him all year, TA was dotting his spots all afternoon, attacking the zone and keeping the Padres off balance with his changeup. It only took him 84 pitches to go seven scoreless innings, and the Padres never had a baserunner in scoring position all afternoon. It seemed like the Padres hitters were in an 0-2 before they even got in the batter’s box, and though he didn’t strike many of them out (only three on the day), the weak contact kept coming. Anderson’s line for the game: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB 3 K.
Belli Bomb and Freddie clutch, Part II
Though Darvish pitched well enough to win on most nights, he left the game after six innings on the wrong end of a 2-0 game. And reliever Luis Garcia didn’t do much to help the Padres’ chances in the bottom of the 7th. And it was the same two guys who did the damage for the Boys in Blue.
In almost a carbon copy of his at-bat in the third inning, Cody Bellinger got ahead 2-1 in the count and then got a sinker out over the plate. Same pitch, same result. A home run to left centerfield, Belli’s second of the afternoon. It was the capper of a three-hit night. Over his last seven games, Bellinger is hitting .320 with a slugging percentage of .760. If that can sustain for a couple more months, look out.
And once again, the Dodgers weren’t satisfied with the solo home run in the inning. After Mookie Betts flew out, Trea Turner reached on a single to the left side and promptly stole second base to be in scoring position for you-know-who. Yep, it was another RBI chance for Freddie, and another base knock. This time he pulled the ball through the infield defense and into right field. Turner, who was off with the crack of the bat was waved around third and scored easily. It put the Dodgers up 4-0, which was more than enough in this one. The only drama in the last couple of innings was whether or not the Dodgers’ pen would hold the shutout.
Two shutout innings close out the game
After Anderson left the game, it was up to the bullpen to finish things off. And that is just what they did. Evan Phillips pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning, and then Craig Kimbrel came on for the 9th. He walked Juan Soto on a borderline call, but was otherwise solid. No save in this one, but Kimbrel looked a lot better in this one than he has in a lot of his so-called “saves” this season. More good news for the Dodgers, bad news for the rest of baseball.
Day off, then the Twins come into town
The Dodgers’ schedule eases up a bit in the next week, as they have two separate days off within a five-day span. After an off-day on Monday, the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins roll into town for a quick two-gamer. Then it’s another off day on Thursday as the team travels to the Midwest for a couple of away series. First, they’ll take on the Kansas City Royals next weekend, and then it’s on to Milwaukee for a four-game set with the suddenly scuffling Brewers. Not counting any chickens, but there seem to be a lot of wins in there. We’ll see what happens. It’ll be Julio Urias starting things off on Tuesday, facing up against young Joe Ryan, who is having a good first year in the Twins rotation. Game time, 7:10 pm.
Cans of Corn…
- The Dodgers outscored the Padres 20-4 in this series. The word “humiliating” comes to mind.
- New Padre Juan Soto was held to a quiet weekend. A couple of singles and a few walks spread across the three games. He was essentially a non-factor in the outcome.
- So good to see production out of Bellinger and Muncy this weekend. Keep it up, boys!
- Can’t say enough about how good Tyler Anderson looked on Sunday. He was hitting his spots all afternoon. Brilliant.
- Dodgers got some great defense behind Anderson in this one. Max Muncy, Trea Turner, and Chris Taylor all had highlight-reel plays in the field.
- Bummer news: Yency Almonte is dealing with some tightness in his right elbow. He’s been put on the IL and will be unavailable for a couple of weeks. Andre Jackson was called up from OKC to take his roster spot.
- There was something supremely satisfying to watch Juan Soto being interviewed and having to watch the Padres get lit up in the same inning. Sorry, Soto, you’re stuck there for two and a half more years. Good luck with that.
