fbpx

Recap: Melvin Upton Jr. Beats Dodgers With Walk-Off Home Run

Matthew Moreno
5 Min Read
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

PAGES: 1 | 2

Puig led off the fourth inning with a single to left field on the first pitch he saw. With Puig off on the pitch, he scored on Yasmani Grandal’s double to left-center field that Upton Jr. manage to cut off.

A.J. Ellis’ base hit put runners on the corners, and Friedrich was replaced by Carlos Villanueva after walking Hernandez to load the bases with one out. Turner lined a pitch off Villanueva’s glove that resulted in a force out at home plate.

Seager then made solid contact, only to hit it right at Rosales, who made the play to end the inning. Kazmir issued a one-out walk before managing to get out of the fourth with the game still tied at 2-2.

Following a Trayce Thompson single in the fifth inning, Puig connected for an opposite-field two-run homer that gave the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. The Padres quickly managed to get a run back, with Norris leading off the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot.

Kazmir issued his seventh walk of the game with one out in the sixth inning, setting a new career high. Of his seven walks, three were to Rosales and three to Wallace. The free pass cost Kazmir and the Dodgers, as pinch-hitter Christian Bethancourt put the Padres ahead with a two-run homer.

After a Jay grounder, Louis Coleman took over and needed just one pitch to record the final out of the inning. Puig and Grandal both struck out swinging after Thompson drew a one-out walk in the seventh.

Carl Crawford pinch-hit for Hernandez with two outs in the eighth and lined a base hit into center field. Turner followed with an opposite-field two-run homer that gave the Dodgers a 6-5 lead.

Pedro Baez allowed a two-out ground rule double in the bottom of the eighth, then exited with Kendrick as part of a double switch that brought on Kenley Jansen and Adrian Gonzalez. Jansen struck out Norris to end the inning but failed to convert the four-out save as he gave up a leadoff single in the ninth, followed by a walk-off home run to Upton Jr.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com