Dodgers strike again, take nailbiter from Padres

SAN DIEGO — One space the place the Dodgers admittedly struggled final October was a scarcity of vitality in comparison with what the Padres dropped at the desk within the National League Division Series.

It’s one thing the Dodgers needed to sit and take into consideration all winter whereas additionally watching the Padres make some splashy strikes. Despite being the category of the NL West for over a decade, it felt just like the Dodgers got here into this season because the forgotten staff within the division.

In the primary assembly between the 2 NL West rivals, it was the Padres that delivered the primary punch in entrance of a raucous dwelling crowd. But on Saturday, the Dodgers confirmed extra urgency and punched again, beating the Padres, 2-1, at Petco Park.

The day began with Clayton Kershaw having to reply questions on a meme that was displayed on the Petco Park scoreboard after Friday’s sport. It was a picture of Kershaw sitting within the dugout with pretend tears operating down his face.

The day ended, nevertheless, with one other Dodgers pitcher taking the ball and dominating the sport proper from the beginning.

After a pair of erratic outings, Dustin May was on the lookout for an enormous bounce-back begin and the right-hander delivered with, arguably, his greatest efficiency of the season, displaying a lot better command of all his pitches in opposition to an aggressive Padres lineup.

May set the tone early as he skipped off the mound after putting out Juan Soto with a sinker proper on the knees. He ended his night time with six strikeouts and permitting simply three hits over six scoreless innings.

With May protecting the Padres in verify, the Dodgers have been capable of get simply sufficient offense in opposition to Blake Snell, who was stable as soon as once more in opposition to Los Angeles. Snell allowed only one hit over six innings, nevertheless it was an enormous one, as Chris Taylor smacked a dangling changeup off the left-hander for a two-run homer within the fourth inning.