Dodgers Dugout: Random thoughts about Game 1

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and Game 1 is in the books.

Some random thoughts about the 5-1 victory:

—I thought for a while that the Dodgers were going to win the game without getting a hit.

—The Dodgers would be crazy to let Justin Turner go this offseason.

—There were nine pitchers used in the first six innings. Seven by the Padres. They walked 14 batters and struck out 17. Those first six innings took three hours and two minutes to play. So much for faster game times this season.

—The problem with using nine pitchers in a game, like the Padres did, is that eventually you are going to bring in a pitcher who doesn’t have his good stuff that day and pay a price for it. Like the Padres did.

—The Dodgers only had four hits, all in the sixth inning. And they still won by four runs.

—So you can say to yourself, “The Dodger offense is struggling, I’m worried.” Or ,”The Dodgers offense is struggling, yet they are still winning. And there’s no way they struggle all playoffs.”

—The Padres sure whine a lot when things don’t go their way.

—And where did all these Padres fans come from on social media? Whenever I go to a Dodgers-Padres game at Petco Park, the only Padres fans I see are the ones walking up and down the aisle, trying to sell me food and drinks during the game.

—What constantly amazes me about Dodger hitting in the postseason, this year and in every other year: It seems they always have at least two games in every series where they take pitches down the middle of the plate, fall behind 0-and-2, fight off a couple of pitches, and then strike out. This never seems to happen during the season.

—Best wishes to Padres starter Mike Clevinger. Don’t want to see anyone get hurt and I hope he didn’t sacrifice some of his future in an attempt to help the Padres now.

—Clevinger, on what his elbow feels like: “It feels like bones hitting in the back of my elbow.”

—If a doctor says he’s too injured to pitch again this series, the Padres will be allowed to replace him.

—By the way, Clevinger is exhausting to watch.

—Remember in years past, how Cody Bellinger would do great in the regular season and then fall apart in the postseason? Well, this year Bellinger had a poor regular season and is hitting .300 in the playoffs.

—Even though they were in Arlington, Texas, the Dodgers were designated the home team for Game 1. Which meant if you closed your eyes and just listened to the game, you got to hear a recording of Dodger Stadium organist/musician Dieter Ruehle playing the national anthem and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” along with many of the sounds associated with Dodger home games. Same thing for Game 2 tonight. The Padres are the “home team” for Games 3 and 4, so they get to use their familiar sounds.

—The FS1 crew was much better than the ESPN crew

Where’s Edwin Ríos?

One big surprise when the Dodgers announced their 28-man NLDS playoff roster: No Edwin Ríos. Our own Jorge Castillo was able to discover quickly that Ríos was injured during practice and would have been unavailable for the NLDS, so the Dodgers left him off and added Gavin Lux. They also removed third catcher Keibert Ruiz and added pitcher Dylan Floro. That means it’s unlikely that we see Austin Barnes behind the plate and Will Smith at DH in Game 2, since that would leave them without a backup catcher if Barnes gets hurt. That also means Terrance Gore remains on the roster. A 28-man roster gives you the luxury of carrying a guy who will only pinch-run, but I’d rather see Ruiz on the roster.

Padres-Dodgers schedule

Here’s the NLDS schedule. The Dodgers will be the home team for Games 1, 2 and 5. All times are Pacific.

Game 1: Dodgers 5, San Diego 1
Game 2: Tonight, 6 p.m., San Diego (TBD) vs. Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw), FS1
Game 3: Thursday, 6 p.m., Dodgers (TBD) vs. San Diego (TBD), MLB Network
Game 4*: Friday, 6 p.m., Dodgers (TBD) vs. San Diego (TBD), FS1
Game 5*: Saturday, 5 p.m., Dodgers (TBD) vs. San Diego (TBD), FS1

* If necessary

In case you missed it

Dylan Hernández: Padres’ pitching problems overshadow Dodgers’ hitting woes in NLDS opener

Clayton Kershaw returns home, where he dominated, hoping to deliver Dodgers a title

World Series will have spectators in the stadium, but no check of their temperatures

Globe Life Field will sound like Dodger Stadium during Dodgers NLDS home games

14 photos from Dodgers’ win over the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS

Young arms will be key for Padres in NLDS against Dodgers

And finally

Rick Monday homers in Game 5 of the 1981 NLCS. Watch it here.