Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Different Day. Same Outcome. Once again, the LA Dodgers’ pitching staff more or less shut down the supposedly star-studded Padres hitters, and came away with big win in a tight ball game, this time besting the Friars by a score of 4-2.
On Saturday at Dodger Stadium, it was Julio Urias‘s turn to be the Padres’ daddy, although the way the starters have pitched this year, it’s more like co-parenting. Julio went seven strong innings and but for a couple errant pitches that got shellacked for solo home runs early, it was pretty much smooth sailing for the Dodgers’ resurgent ace.
It was almost the mirror image of the strong start that Dustin May delivered on Friday, only this time instead of giving up two run late, Urias got it out of the way early. Juan Soto put a bullet into the right field bullpen in the top of the first and Ha-Seong Kim drilled a solo shot to left, but that was it for the Padres’ offense in this one. Julio had a skosh of trouble in the 6th when a Max Muncy throwing error and an infield hit led to a first-and-third, one-out situation.
However, El Culichi buckled down and started an amazing 1-6-3 double play that was better than any out recorded by his infielders on Saturday. He had a fairly uneventful seventh, and then gave the ball to Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson to handle the last two innings. Graterol had a little trouble recording the final out, but thanks to a Ferguson strikeout of Jake Cronenworth, the game ended with the tying run stuck on first base.
As for the offense, the Dodgers got all they needed early in this one when J.D. Martinez bashed a three-run home run in the bottom of the first. Thanks to a couple of bloop hits off Padres starter Joe Musgrove, there were a couple of runners on base for the two-out blast and that proved to be the difference in the ballgame. The Dodgers added a little insurance in the 3rd inning, when an opposite field single from Will Smith plated Freddie Freeman, who had led off the inning with a double off the wall.
This was only Martinez’s second game back from the IL. He got a single in Friday’s contest, and followed it up with the key hit in this one. But the veteran slugger admitted that it had taken a bit of adjustment, figuring out just how to fit into the Dodgers lineup.
“In the beginning, I felt like I was pressing a little bit, trying to do too much,” Martinez said after the game. “But we got a good enough team, I don’t have to do anything, really. Just do what I know how to do, and if it’s me that night, it’s me. If it’s the other eight hitters, it’s the other eight hitters. Our lineup is pretty potent.”
From then on, the team rode the strong left arm of Urías to the finish line. This marks his second straight quality start after a trio of poor outings in late April.
“I thought he was really good,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Plays that didn’t get made, he picked us up. Went deep in the ballgame. Just what we needed.
“It’s good that we’re playing good baseball, winning baseball,” the Dodger skipper continued. “I’d argue now, more importantly, is we’ve got to just continue to play good baseball. … We have a chance to really go for the jugular tomorrow, and that’s our intent.”
Cans of Corn…
- Julio’s line for a really solid day’s work: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.
- Nothing’s ever over in May, but a win on Sunday would put the Padres back seven games. That’s a hole most teams don’t climb out of.
- Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman nearly teamed up on a spectacular game-ending play in the top of the 9th on a Xander Bogaerts ground ball. Out on the field, but overturned on appeal. Drat! That led to Graterol giving up another hit, and required Ferguson to come in and get Cronenworth.
- Joe Musgrove’s hard luck against the Dodgers continues. Despite pitching well almost every time, he is yet to record a win.
- With the series win already secure, the Dodgers try to get out the brooms on Sunday afternoon. Tony Gonsolin vs. lefty Ryan Weathers. Game time 1:10. Kiss your mom, and bring her to the ball park!
