Dodgers survive elimination with big offensive showing vs Padres in NLDS
The National League Division Series will move back to Los Angeles after the Dodgers staved off elimination with a Game 4 victory over the San Diego Padres.
The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t dead yet.
Twenty-seven outs away from elimination, the Dodgers proved why they are the No. 1 seed in the National League with an 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday.
The Dodgers wasted no time, as Mookie Betts, whose postseason struggles are now officially a thing, belted a solo homer in the first. Then, with the bases loaded in the second, Shohei Ohtani and Betts each delivered back-to-back RBI singles.
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In the third, Will Smith blasted a two-run shot to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead. Tommy Edman added a sac fly in the seventh, and Gavin Lux ripped a two-run homer in the frame for some insurance.
It could be a case of Monday morning quarterbacking for the Padres, as Dylan Cease lasted just 1.2 innings on three-day rest, but Joe Musgrove’s Tommy John surgery certainly doesn’t help matters. However, Bryan Hoeing was the first reliever out, and he wasn’t much better – he was charged with the two earned runs in the third.
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It was a bullpen game for the Dodgers, who have been riddled with injuries to their starting rotation all year. But Dave Roberts’ relievers gave him beyond what he could have possibly hoped for. Eight relievers combined to allow just seven hits and two walks on the night - four of those hits came in the final three innings, when the game was already practically out of reach.
The Dodgers took advantage of clutch situations, going 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Padres, meanwhile, went 0-for-9.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the highest-paid pitcher of all time despite not even throwing an MLB pitch until 2025, figures to make the start for the Dodgers in Game 5 – San Diego’s starter is also TBD, but Yu Darvish would be on normal rest if he got the ball.
Game 5 is Friday night at 8:08 p.m. back in Los Angeles. This is the third time the teams have met in the NLDS since 2020, with each team winning one series.
The winner of Friday's game will face the New York Mets for the pennant.
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