The Los Angeles Dodgers spun their wheels before Corey Seager helped them break through in the sixth inning for a 6-3 comeback victory over the San Diego Padres. The win left Los Angeles in position to keep their streak alive of not losing a series since June 5-7.
Jhoulys Chacin entered with an MLB-worst 7.36 road ERA and he was on the ropes early. Chris Taylor led off the bottom of the first with a walk, which was followed by a Corey Seager single that put runners at the corners with nobody out.
Chacin managed to limit the damage to just one run, scored on Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly. Walks by Taylor, Seager and Cody Bellinger loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning.
Although Chacin struggled with command, Joc Pederson swung at the first pitch and grounded out to end the inning. That left the Padres with a 3-1 lead.
They initially tied the game in the third behind back-to-back two-out doubles from Jose Pirela and Hunter Renfroe. Chacin then helped his cause with an RBI single in the fourth to give the Padres a one-run lead.
Wil Myers’ innocent fly ball to right field caught a jet stream and sailed into the pavilion for a solo home run in the fifth. Ryu wore a look of shock on his face, as he’d watched multiple balls hit by the Dodgers die at the warning track.
Ryu’s night came to an end at 108 pitches and five innings. It was the first time in his las eight starts he allowed more than two earned runs.
The Padres turning to their bullpen undid the strong performance from Chacin. Jose Torres walked Yasmani Grandal to start the bottom of the sixth, then allowed a double to Chase Utley. Craig Stammen walked Yasiel Puig to load the bases with nobody out.
The right-handed reliever nearly escaped the jam by retiring pinch-hitter Austin Barnes and striking out Taylor. Stammen fell behind in the count to Seager and gave up a two-run, game-tying single.
It became more when Seager appeared to be caught in a rundown, which he managed to keep alive long enough for Puig to gamble and break home. The throw to the plate was wide and Puig’s left hand slid underneath Austin Hedges’ tag attempt to score the go-ahead run.
Bellinger’s opposite-field solo home run in the seventh inning provided the Dodgers with some insurance. The homer was Bellinger’s 34th this season, or one fewer than Mike Piazza’s Dodgers rookie record. Taylor added a solo home run of his own in the eighth.
Tony Watson, Brandon Morrow, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen each threw a scoreless inning in relief. Baez stranded a two-out triple in the eighth, while Jansen converted his 31st save of the season. He worked around back-to-back singles with nobody out to shut the door.
