Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman jolt Dodgers to life in win over Padres
The seats were full, but the atmosphere was lacking.
For most of Friday night at Dodger Stadium, a 49,399-person crowd booed loudly for Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, cheered wildly every time the Lakers’ score was flashed on the screens, but sat quietly for most of the action in between.
For the first home game of the year against the rival San Diego Padres, the scene at Chavez Ravine was somewhat subdued.
Evan Phillips and Dodgers hold on for 4-2 win over Padres
⚾ Dodgers 4, Padres 2 — FINAL
Top of the ninth: Facing Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips, Juan Soto flied out to deep right field before Xander Bogaerts struck out. Rougned Odor then singled down the right-field line before Ha-Seong Kim struck out to end the game.
The Dodgers and Padres continue their three-game series Saturday at 4 p.m. PDT.
Dodgers lead 4-2 heading into the ninth inning
⚾ Dodgers 4, Padres 2 — Eighth inning
Top of the eighth: Dodgers reliever Caleb Ferguson gave up back-to-back singles to Nelson Cruz and Fernando Tatis Jr. After Ferguson struck out Jake Cronenworth, Dave Roberts summoned Evan Phillips from the bullpen. Manny Machado then lined into a 6-4-3 double play to stymie a potential scoring chance for the Padres.
Bottom of the eighth: Facing Domingo Tapia, Dodgers pinch hitter James Outman popped out, Max Muncy struck out and Miguel Vargas flied out.
Dodgers take 4-2 lead on back-to-back home runs
⚾ Dodgers 4, Padres 2 — End of the seventh
Top of the seventh: Manny Machado lined out to left. After Juan Soto grounded out, Xander Bogaerts scorched the ball to deep center field over Trayce Thompson’s head for a double. Dustin May then walked Matt Carpenter. Ha-Seong Kim followed with a two-run double into the left-field corner, with pinch runner Rougned Odor beating Will Smith’s tag at home plate to tie the game.
Caleb Ferguson replaced May after Kim’s hit, striking out Trent Grisham on three pitches to cap the frame. May allowed five hits, two earned runs, walked one and struck out three over 6 2/3 innings.
Blake Snell’s night on the mound is also over. He allowed four hits, two earned runs, walked four and struck out four over seven innings (101 pitches).
Bottom of the seventh: Facing Padres reliever Tim Hill, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman led off with back-to-back home runs to put the Dodgers ahead. Betts sent the ball 426 feet into the left-field pavilion for his eighth homer of the season. Freeman’s seventh homer of 2023 landed in the Padres’ bullpen.
Padres reliever Luis Garcia took over and got Will Smith to fly out to left and struck out J.D. Martinez to send the game into the eighth.
Dodgers hold 2-0 lead heading into the seventh inning
⚾ Dodgers 2, Padres 0 — End of the sixth
Top of the sixth: Trent Grisham popped out to Max Muncy in foul territory next to the Dodgers dugout. Brett Sullivan grounded out and then Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to left. He was left stranded when Jake Cronenworth flied out to left.
Bottom of the sixth: Muncy and Miguel Vargas each grounded out and Miguel Rojas flied out to center, giving Padres pitcher Blake Snell his first 1-2-3 inning of the night.
Dustin May gets out of jam after Juan Soto’s leadoff double
⚾ Dodgers 2, Padres 0 — End of the fifth
Top of the fifth inning: Juan Soto hit a standup double with a blistering, 113-mph exit velocity that propelled the grounder to the wall in right-center field. Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short, moving Soto to third. Soto opted against sprinting for home and testing Chris Taylor’s arm when Matt Carpenter flied out to left. Ha Seong-Kim then grounded out to short, prompting a cheer and a hop from Dustin May. The Dodgers starter has allowed two hits and has struck out three over 55 pitches.
Bottom of the fifth inning: Mookie Betts grounded out, the Blake Snell walked Will Smith. J.D. Martinez singled to left, moving Smith to third. Chris Taylor grounded out to third to leave two stranded.
Dodgers hold 2-0 lead heading into the fifth inning
Dodgers 2, Padres 0 — End of the fourth
Top of the fourth: Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded out to second before Jake Cronenworth picked up the Padres’ first hit on a liner to left. Manny Machado hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame.
Bottom of the fourth: Max Muncy lined out to right and Miguel Vargas struck out for the second time tonight. Miguel Rojas reached base on what was ruled as a throwing error by Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim even if first baseman Matt Carpenter didn’t make much of an effort to corral the ball. Blake Snell struck out Trayce Thompson to end the inning.
Dodgers take 2-0 lead on Freddie Freeman double
Dodgers 2, Padres 0 — End of the third
Top of the third: Nine up and nine down for Dodgers starter Dustin May, who looks sharp tonight. Ha-Seong Kim grounded out to third, Trent Grisham struck out and Brett Sullivan grounded out to May.
Bottom of the third: Trayce Thompson led off with a four-pitch walk from Padres pitcher Blake Snell, who then walked Mookie Betts. Freddie Freeman hit a two-run double into right-center field to put the Dodgers on the board. Will Smith followed with a liner to shallow right that moved Freeman to third. Chris Taylor hit into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Dodgers can’t capitalize on Chris Taylor’s leadoff double
⚾ Padres 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the second
Top of the second: Juan Soto grounded out to first, Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second and Matt Carpenter struck out. Dustin May has retired each of the six batters he has faced, striking out two on 26 pitches.
Bottom of the second: Chris Taylor hit a first-pitch double into the left-field corner, continuing his recent surge at the plate. Taylor advanced to third on a Max Muncy ground out to first. Padres starter Blake Snell then struck out Miguel Vargas on a 96-mph four-seamer just outside the zone before Miguel Rojas grounded out to Snell.
Dodgers fans give Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado an L.A. welcome
⚾ Padres 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the first
Top of the first: Fernando Tatis Jr. flied out to right field, Jake Cronenworth grounded out to first and Dustin May caught Manny Machado with a breaking ball on a called third strike to cap the 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom of the first: Facing Padres starter Blake Snell, Mookie Betts grounded out to third before Freddie Freeman drew a five-pitch walk. Will Smith flied out to right and J.D. Martinez grounded out to Snell to leave Freeman stranded.
Dodgers ‘hopeful’ Noah Syndergaard (blister) will make start Monday
For now, Noah Syndergaard remains on track to make his next start Monday.
Despite leaving his most recent outing in Milwaukee this week, when a right index finger blister turned into a bloody cut that forced him out after one inning, manager Dave Roberts said Syndergaard should be OK to start as scheduled Monday as long as he can handle a Saturday bullpen session.
“Just watching him play catch today, he was ripping it and it was covered up,” Roberts said. “Tomorrow is gonna be a big day for him. He’s gonna throw a bullpen. And if he can get out of that, I don’t see why he wouldn’t make the start on Monday.”
Roberts didn’t believe Syndergaard’s blister had affected him too much during his up-and-down performance in April (he had a 6.32 ERA in his first six starts), and remained confident the team wouldn’t have to pivot to right-handed prospect Gavin Stone for Monday’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins.
“I think for me, it’s just trusting the player, if we can keep it protected, that he’ll be able to execute,” Roberts said.
Pitcher injury updates
- Walker Buehler is continuing to make progress in his return from Tommy John surgery, Roberts said, with the right-hander recently beginning to throw off a mound again (though he hasn’t yet thrown a true bullpen session). His return this season remains uncertain.
- Reliever Jimmy Nelson was recently shut down from throwing after he “felt” something during his recovery from an elbow injury that cost him all of last season. After his latest setback, Roberts said the right-hander will have to “restart” his build-up program once he resumes pitching, leaving his timeline to return unclear.
- It’s also unclear when reliever Daniel Hudson might return from his torn ACL. While Hudson has been throwing since spring training, Roberts said the pitcher was continuing to have issues with scar tissue on his knee, leaving his potential return “still down the road.”
Dodgers hope that Chris Taylor, known for streaky hitting, is starting to find groove
There is at least one benefit to the powerball numbers being played by Chris Taylor, the Dodgers utility man who entered Friday night’s game against the San Diego Padres with only 18 hits on the season but seven home runs.
“I guess what’s great is that when he does move the ball forward, it goes over the fence, and some of them have been big homers,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think the average will go up, the on-base percentage will go up, and hopefully the slug will remain. But right now, it’s sort of an outlier for me. I can’t understand it.”
Taylor — who also had three doubles and a triple on the season entering Friday, resulting in a slash line heavy on slugging (.484) but light on batting average (.198) and OBP (.267) — has a simple explanation for his homer-heavy output.
A fitter Victor González is fitting in nicely in Dodgers’ bullpen
It took Victor González just 2½ weeks from his April 22 promotion to the Dodgers to forge a prominent role in a bullpen that has found its footing after a rocky start to the season, the left-hander’s 7⅔ scoreless innings in seven games quickly earning the confidence of manager Dave Roberts.
“He’s climbing rapidly,” Roberts said this week, when asked where González rates on his trust-o-meter. “He’s a leverage guy. I trust him in virtually any spot.”
González, 27, experienced an equally swift ascent two years ago but on the bathroom scale, not the mound. His sudden weight gain derailed a career that began with such promise as a rookie during pandemic-shortened 2020.
Dodgers activate J.D Martinez and Caleb Ferguson, option Michael Busch and Wander Suero
The Dodgers inched a little closer to full strength Friday, activating designated hitter J.D. Martinez from the injured list and reliever Caleb Ferguson from the paternity list ahead of the team’s series opener against the San Diego Padres.
Martinez had been out since the club’s series in Chicago against the Cubs last month, when he tweaked his back running the bases.
Ferguson was away for part of this week’s series in Milwaukee for the birth of his first child.
In corresponding moves, rookie infielder Michael Busch and veteran reliever Wander Suero were optioned to triple-A Oklahoma City.
Busch, 25, went four for 19 in seven games during his debut big league stint, including a game-winning RBI against the Padres in San Diego last week.
“Every young player wants to play, but the message was, he took full advantage of watching major league players and how the game is supposed to be played, the intensity, the focus,” manager Dave Roberts said of Busch. “I expect him to take that with him and join us again at some point.”
Wednesday recap: Clayton Kershaw delivers much-needed strong start
MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers bullpen picked up the rotation Tuesday night, covering the final eight innings of a win over the Milwaukee Brewers after starter Noah Syndergaard departed because of a deep cut on the index finger of his pitching hand.
Clayton Kershaw returned the favor Wednesday, giving an overworked relief corps a much-needed respite with a dominant, seven-inning start to lead the Dodgers to an 8-1 victory and a series win at American Family Field.
The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner gave up one run and five hits, struck out eight and walked none to improve to 6-2 with a 2.36 earned-run average in eight starts.
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
