Dodgers Recap: In a fiery battle, Dodgers slug their way past Padres

CHAVEZ RAVINE — An emptied-out bullpen! Guys getting plunked! Managers getting tossed! Epic At-Bats! Dudes wandering off the bag! Balks with the bases loaded! This one had everything. After falling behind early and watching Shohei Ohtani go down swinging twice in the first five innings, the Dodgers came alive in the middle frames Tuesday night at Chavez Ravine. In he bottom of the sixth, Los Angeles stormed ahead, winning the game 8-6 on the strength of timely hitting, a pair of homers (and a 4-for4 night) from Andy Pages, and a relentless offensive push against the San Diego bullpen.

It was the Padres who struck first, manufacturing a run in the top of the first off Dodgers opener Jack Dreyer. Luis Arraez and Gavin Sheets each delivered singles, with Sheets driving in the game’s opening run. San Diego added two more in the third inning—capitalizing on a double from Martín Maldonado, a hit-by-pitch to Fernando Tatis Jr., and RBI knocks from Arraez and Gavin Sheets—to jump ahead 3-2.

It was that hit by pitch that would start the fireworks. After the dust-up between Andy Pages and Dylan Cease on Monday night, Tatis getting hit put a new tension into the game. That tension would only escalate in the next inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, after starter Randy Vasquez retired Tommy Edman for the first out, he decided to get in a little tit-for-tat (or is it tit-for-Tatis?) by plunking Shohei Ohtani on the leg. Then all heck broke loose. The umps warned both benches, and umpire Tripp Gibson had a very short fuse with manager Dave Roberts and tossed him out of the game when he took a couple of steps out of the dugout. It was the first time this year that the usually calm Roberts had been ejected this season, the thirteenth in his career. Doc got his money’s worth though, giving the umpiring crew what for before retreating to the clubhouse.

While emotions were high, the Dodgers never let the game slip away. After the Roberts ejection, the Dodgers tied up the game with Andy Pages drilling his second home run of the game, one that just cleared the fence in left center, landing in the home run seats to knot the game at three apiece.

Then came the big inning. In the bottom of the sixth, the Dodgers exploded for five runs. The rally started with a line-drive single from Freddie Freeman off new reliever Jeremiah Estrada. That brought catcher Will Smith to the plate. Smith battled Estrada mightily, fouling off pitch after pitch until he got one to his liking. Then, on the twelfth pitch of the at-bat, he walloped one, a shot to left center to put the Dodgers ahead 5-3.

But the Dodgers weren’t done. Teoscar reignited the rally with a single, followed by a Max Muncy base hit and an RBI single from, you guessed it, Andy Pages. After a wild pitch and a mound visit, Tommy Edman delivered the biggest blow of the night so far: a two-run double into the left-field corner, scoring both Muncy and Pages to make it 8-3.

Then, it was white-knuckle time with the depleted bullpen. Matt Sauer, who had gotten shelled last week down in Friar Land, pitched pretty well until the top of the sixth. He gave up a two-run homer to rookie Trenton Brooks, and when new pitcher Michael Kopech balked with the bases loaded, it was suddenly 8-6, and things didn’t look nearly as comfortable.

Anthony Banda loaded the bases in the eighth, but somehow wormed out of that one as well, which sent the game into the ninth, for the third straight outing for closer Tanner Scott. Scott quickly retired Manny Machado on a hot liner to Mookie Betts at short. Gavin Sheets struck out swinging, and Scott quickly got ahead of Xander Bogaerts 1-2. The Dodger faithful rose to their feet, smelling blood in the water. On the next pitch, Bogaert flew out to Teoscar Hernandez, and this slugfest was finally over. Whew!

With two wins in the bank, the Dodgers now try to secure the series win on Wednesday, with Emmet Sheehan returning to the mound. The Dodgers hitters will try their luck against righty Stephen Kolek. I think we all need some sleep after that one. Double Whew!

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