The Los Angeles Dodgers traded home runs and defensive miscues with the San Diego Padres, suffering a 5-3 loss to send the National League Division Series tied to Petco Park this weekend.
Making his first postseason start since the 2020 World Series, Clayton Kershaw wasn’t sharp but managed to get through five innings and exited with the game tied. He surrendered a solo home run to Manny Machado in the first inning, and was hurt again by the Padres’ All-Star when he tied the game with an RBI double in the third.
San Diego scored a second run in the inning on Jake Cronenworth’s groundout to first base. The three runs allowed and five innings Kershaw pitched matched that of Julio Urías from Game 1, and so did his six strikeouts.
Kershaw remained in the game despite the shaky third inning and the top of the Padres lineup coming up for a third time on the night, and he responded by retiring the final eight batters faced.
His outing was bested in some regard by Yu Darvish, who pitched five-plus innings. The Dodgers scored one run in each of the first three innings behind home runs from Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Trea Turner.
Freeman’s home run was his first in the postseason with the Dodgers. Muncy reached 10 career homers in the playoffs, tying him with Steve Garvey for fourth-most in Dodgers franchise history.
Darvish was chased from the game after Will Smith’s leadoff single and Muncy drove a long base hit to the wall in right field that put runners at the corners with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Robert Suarez got the Padres out of the jam by striking out Justin Turner and inducing Gavin Lux into a double play. That protected a 4-3 lead they had taken in large part due to a Trea Turner error in the top of the sixth.
Brusdar Graterol induced a bevy of soft contact but two one went for a leadoff single, another was a grounder booted by Turner, and a third saw Jurickson Profar’s chopper get through the right side of the infield for an RBI base hit.
The Dodgers had another opportunity in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runners in scoring position and one out, and the bases loaded with two away. Suarez again worked out of trouble to keep San Diego ahead.
Jake Cronenworth provided the Padres with some insurance on a solo home run against Blake Treinen in the eighth inning.
The Dodgers had two on against Josh Hader in the bottom of the eighth when Cody Bellinger was pinch-hit for by Austin Barnes. The decision was rather curious considering Chris Taylor and Miguel Vargas were conceivably available off the bench as well.
Barnes flied out and the Dodgers stranded Freeman’s two-out double in the ninth inning.
The Padres have now won their last seven road games with Darvish on the mound. Game 4 of the NLDS is locked in for Saturday.
Dodgers vs. Padres NLDS schedule and start times
Game 3: Friday, October 14, 5:37 p.m. PT
Game 4: Saturday, October 15, 6:37 p.m.
Game 5*: Sunday, October 16, 6:07 p.m. (5:37 p.m. if New York Yankees-Cleveland Guardians series is a sweep)
*if necessary
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