Recap: Dodgers Take One on the Chin as Roberts Preserves Arms for Rubber Match

SAN DIEGO — Turns out, bullpen games ain’t that easy to pull off. In stark contrast to the masterpiece of last October, Tuesday’s bullpen game was an unmitigated trainwreck. In an 11–1 blowout loss to the Padres at Petco Park, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a conscious decision: let Matt Sauer wear it. The rookie right-hander, pitching in only his eighth game of the season, was left on the mound for 111 pitches across 4.2 grueling innings as San Diego poured it on, scoring nine earned runs off him before he was finally pulled in the sixth.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was strategic. With low leverage guys like Sauer, opener Lou Trivino and famous pitcher Kiké Hernández on the bump, the Dodgers go into a day game on Wednesday with all their high octane arms intact. So, there’s that, I guess.

The Padres battered Dodgers pitching for 16 hits and 10 earned runs, tagging Sauer for 13 of those hits and all but one of the earned runs. Manny Machado led the charge with a 3-for-5 night, driving in five runs, including two on a seventh-inning single off utility man Hernández, who came in as mop-up relief. Luis Arraez added three hits of his own, including two doubles, while veteran catcher Martín Maldonado launched a solo homer in the sixth.

The Dodgers never had a foothold in this one. Dylan Cease dominated on the mound for San Diego, allowing just three hits across seven scoreless innings while striking out 11. He navigated a potentially game-changing third inning—when the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs—by striking out Teoscar Hernández on a high fastball. It was the Dodgers’ best look at breaking through against Cease, and they came up empty.

Meanwhile, Sauer’s outing deteriorated in chunks. He got out of a jam in the second but couldn’t escape trouble in the third, when the Padres strung together a walk, a double by Arraez, an RBI single from Machado, and a triple by Jackson Merrill to jump ahead 3–0. They added on in the fourth when Maldonado grounded into a double play that still scored a run. Then in the fifth, another rally pushed the lead to 5–0. By the time Maldonado homered to left field to lead off the sixth, the rout was fully underway.

Roberts kept Sauer in until Bogaerts’ two-run single in the sixth made it 9–0. Only then did he call on Hernández to pitch the final 2.1 innings and help preserve a taxed bullpen that’s been stretched thin during this road trip, and to be honest, all season long.

The lone Dodgers highlight came in the eighth when Michael Conforto drove in Miguel Rojas with a single to avoid the shutout. Conforto, who’s struggled for much of the season, added a second hit in the game to inch his average closer to the Mendoza line.

Otherwise, the Dodgers’ offense flailed against Cease and reliever David Morgan. The team struck out 12 times and went just 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position, stranding 11 men on base. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman each had hits, but the top of the lineup couldn’t deliver in key spots.

Hyeseong Kim made an appearance in center field, entering late after Betts and Hernández were lifted, and reached base once via walk. But with the outcome never in doubt, Roberts used the back half of the game as an opportunity to give his regulars some rest ahead of the rubber match, which starts at 1:10 on Wednesday.

It was a night to forget, but one that could have long-term value.

The Dodgers, now 40–28, maintain a slim lead atop the NL West, while the Padres improve to 38–28 and close the gap. With the series tied 1–1, all eyes turn to Wednesday’s finale, where Los Angeles will be armed with a rested bullpen and a fresh roster thanks to the sacrifices made in Tuesday’s loss.

The Dodgers will go with Justin Wrobleski to start things off on Wednesday, and San Diego is expected to counter with right-hander Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.69 ERA, 37 SO).

A win would send the Dodgers home with a critical series victory and a .500 road trip. A loss would raise more questions about their inconsistencies against top division rivals. Either way, Roberts made it clear Tuesday night’s blowout was a calculated loss in service of the bigger picture.

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