Cody Snavely
NLDS Game 4, 10/9/2024: Dodgers 8, Padres 0
SAN DIEGO, CA — Well… it all comes down to this as the Los Angeles Dodgers looked to stay alive in the postseason, hoping to split the two games in San Diego and force a winner-take-all all-game five back at Chavez Ravine on Friday.
However, in an eerily similar situation as the 2022 Dodgers, they were staring down the barrel of the Padres, who had their finger on the trigger looking to defeat the 111-win giant.
The Dodgers, out of starting pitching options, would go the unorthodox route with a bullpen game in a do-or-die game four, and the Padres would turn to game one starter Dylan Cease, who is starting on just three days rest.
For the second time in as many nights, Mookie Betts would start the scoring for the Dodgers, hitting another solo home run to give the Dodgers a quick one-run lead.
After starting off the series slow, Betts went 2-for-4 last night and is quickly turning into the Dodgers’ best hitter this postseason. If it weren’t for a Jurickson Profar catch to rob a home run, Betts would have three this series.
The Dodgers would continue to add on in the top of the second inning after a walk by second baseman Gavin Lux, and Kiké Hernández single would put them at the corners with two outs and Shohei Ohtani up to bat.
Ohtani would win the battle against Cease yet again, hitting a sharp single past Luis Arráez, putting the Dodgers up by two runs. Padres manager Mike Shildt would say he saw enough and would pull Cease after only 1.2 innings. However, the Dodgers would continue to add on with an RBI single by none other than Mookie Betts, bringing him up to 2-for-2 on the day and 4-for-his-last-6.
It would be a bullpen game for both sides, and the Dodgers offense would take advantage of the Padres bullpen for the first time this series as Will Smith would add to the lead with a Will Smith two-run bomb to straightaway center field for his first hit of the 2024 postseason.
It would be quiet for the Padres until the bottom of the fifth inning, where Dodgers left-handed pitch Alex Vesia in his second inning of work would allow a lead-off single to David Peralta and walk Jake Cronenworth, putting runners at first and second with no one out.
However, Vesia got two straight outs on a Kyle Higashioka strikeout and a Luis Arráez flyout to Betts. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts then brought in high-leverage arm Evan Phillips with two outs to face the scorching-hot Fernando Tatís Jr., who would proceed to get him to fly out to deep center field for the final, preserving the shutout.
The Dodgers would add another run in the top of the seventh inning on a sacrifice bunt by Tommy Edman, scoring Max Muncy after he advanced to third base on an error by Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
However, it would be Gavin Lux to put an exclamation point on this game with a two-run home run off lefty Wandy Peralta to push the Dodgers lead to eight.
Overall, the Dodgers’ bullpen game worked, as Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Landon Knack were terrific, holding the Padres to just four hits in an 8-0 shutout win.
Game five of the NLDS will be on Friday in Los Angeles at 5:08 PM PT.
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