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1
The first two games of the National League Division Series featured momentum-turning double plays in the sixth inning, the defensive ledger reading much like the best-of-five series between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres: tied at one.
Tuesday night, it was Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux who snagged Wil Myers’ 100-mph one-hopper to his left, spun 360 degrees and fired to shortstop Trea Turner, who avoided the sliding Manny Machado and fired to first for an inning-ending double play to preserve a two-run lead in a 5-3 win.
Wednesday night, it was Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth who fielded Lux’s sixth-inning grounder and shoveled a back-hand flip to shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, whose throw to first completed a double play that helped San Diego escape a first-and-third, no-out jam and preserve a one-run lead.
The Dodgers gave the Padres too many chances to win, and San Diego exploited them for a 5-3 victory in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
Padres reliever Robert Suárez, who struck out Justin Turner with a 101-mph fastball for the first out of the sixth, wiggled out of a second-and-third, one-out jam in the seventh, and San Diego held on for a 5-3 Game 2 victory in front of 53,122 in Dodger Stadium, tying the series 1-1.
“That was the pivotal play of the game,” Cronenworth said. “Gavin is a good runner, and he didn’t hit it hard, he didn’t hit it soft, it was kind of a tweener speed. So you gotta attack it and get it to Kim as fast as you can. He’s got a great arm and he was able to finish it.”
Suárez, a 31-year-old rookie from Venezuela who played the previous five seasons in Japan, bailed out Padres ace Yu Darvish from that sixth-inning jam, but he got himself into trouble in the seventh when Cody Bellinger singled with one out and Betts doubled to left-center to put runners on second and third.
But Suárez got Trea Turner to ground out to Machado at third, the runners holding. Freddie Freeman was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Will Smith flied out to center field, the Padres holding their 4-3 lead.
“He got out of two big jams there,” Machado said of Suárez. “He came in for Yu with first-and-third and got out of it, which was huge. Then he created one in the next inning and got out of it—I think that was the big difference in the game. If they score even one run there, I think the game changes big-time.”
2
It takes a thief
Dodgers baserunner Mookie Betts is tagged out by San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth on a stolen-base attempt in the fifth inning.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Padres struggled to control the running this season, throwing out only 13 of 102 base-stealers, a 13% caught-stealing rate that was the worst in baseball.
The Dodgers were successful on 13 of 13 stolen-base attempts against the Padres this season, and opponents were successful on 14 of 16 stolen-base attempts against Darvish.
So the odds were stacked heavily in the Dodgers’ favor when Mookie Betts walked to open the fifth inning of a 3-3 game and, after Darvish threw to first base three times, took off for second.
But San Diego catcher Austin Nola fired a strike to Cronenworth, who caught the ball and tagged the head-first-sliding Betts in the side simultaneously for the first out of the inning, a call that was challenged and upheld by replay.
“That’s his best throw of the year,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said of Nola. “Comes up at the biggest time. We know that they’re probably going to be a little bit more aggressive. Yu has been better in the second half of the season than maybe the first half at holding runners and gave him a time.”
Said Nola: “Yu had a quick time to the plate, gave me a chance, Croney put a good tag on him … just a good all-around defensive play from everybody.”
Yu Darvish will forever be known to Dodgers fans as the player who lost in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, but he has grown into a different pitcher since then.
3
Pitching plans
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said right-hander Tony Gonsolin, slowed for the past six weeks because of a forearm strain, will start Game 3 at Petco Park on Friday night, and left-hander Tyler Anderson will start Game 4 on Saturday.
“We extended him in the live simulated games that we had this past week,” Roberts said of Gonsolin. “We feel good about the length and how he is throwing the baseball.”
Anderson, who went 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA this season, said before Game 2 that he would be ready when called upon.
“I told them that whenever you want me to pitch, I’m available,” Anderson said. “If you want me to pitch [Thursday] in live batting practice so guys can face left-handed pitching, I’ll pitch then, too.”
4
Family affair
(Sean M. Haffey / The San Diego Union-Tribune; Justin Berl)
A.J. and Stacie Nola, the proud parents of Padres catcher Austin Nola and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, have been racking up some frequent-flyer miles this month, but the Baton Rouge, La., natives have their limits.
The couple flew to New York to watch Austin and the Padres play Game 1 of the NL wild-card series against the Mets last Friday night. The next morning, they flew to St. Louis to watch Aaron help the Phillies close out their wild-card series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Next up: a flight to Philadelphia to watch Aaron pitch Game 3 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
Were A.J. and Stacie at Dodger Stadium for Game 2 Wednesday night?
“No, they’re not here,” Nola said. “Too much travel.”
Austin and Aaron could eliminate some travel choices for their parents if the Padres and Phillies advance to next week’s NL Championship Series, but that wouldn’t make life any easier for them.
“It would probably drive my parents absolutely nuts, and the nerves and stress would be out of the roof,” Nola said with a laugh. “I don’t know if I want to do that to them. I don’t want to take that many years off their life having to deal with that. It would be cool, but we have to take care of business here.”
5
Goose on the loose
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Max Muncy’s second-inning solo shot to right field in the second was his 10th career postseason home run, tying him with Steve Garvey for the fourth most in franchise history behind Justin Turner (13), Corey Seager (13) and Duke Snider (11). … Blake Treinen’s first appearance since Sept. 5 and sixth of a season marred by shoulder injuries was rocky. The right-hander gave up a solo homer to Cronenworth and walked two batters — one intentionally — in a 25-pitch eighth. … There was some fowl play in the bottom of the eighth when the game was delayed briefly by a goose that was loose. The bird flew from the outfield toward the backstop and dive-bombed Bellinger in the on-deck circle before groundskeepers were able to corral it near third base. Said Machado of the goose: “That was pretty gnarly.”
