San Diego Padres 0–7 Los Angeles Dodgers: match recap

Match recap

The Dodgers' pitching staff combined for a shutout, while Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman powered the offense to a 7-0 win over the Padres in Los Angeles.

Brock Stewart started and tossed a clean first inning, but the real story was the Padres' inability to string together hits against seven Dodgers relievers. Michael King was touched for five runs over four innings, undone by a pair of homers—a Will Smith solo shot and a Tommy Edman two-run blast. Freddie Freeman's bases-loaded single in the third broke the game open, plating three. The Padres managed only five hits and struck out eight times, with the heart of their order (Machado, Bogaerts, Tatis) going a combined 2-for-10 with three strikeouts. The Dodgers' bullpen cruised, allowing just three hits over the final five frames.

Key factors

• Dodgers out-hit the Padres 9-5 and connected for two home runs to none, powering their way to a 7-0 lead.
• San Diego's lineup managed just a .152 batting average and struck out eight times, failing to mount any sustained threat.
• Los Angeles received four walks to the Padres' two, giving their hitters extra bases and traffic on the bases.

The Analyst's verdict

This was a mismatch from the first pitch—the Dodgers' depth on the mound and in the lineup overwhelmed a Padres team that couldn't get anything going. Los Angeles's ability to produce with runners in scoring position and limit the damage defensively (only one error) was the difference. San Diego will need to find a way to generate more offense against quality pitching if they want to compete in a postseason atmosphere.