San Diego Padres Series Recap Against L.A. Dodgers

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Aug 21, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) throws during the sixth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Series Overview

The Padres (59-67) could not pull off the series win as Clayton Kershaw was too much on Thursday night. The Dodgers (72-57) took the series victory at Dodger Stadium this week. Both of these teams showed they can pitch well and also hit well, as the Padres’ offense continues to show improvement from the dismal first half they had. With a few more bounces going their way, the Padres could have easily won this series.

As a team, the Padres hit .277 during the series, despite being shut down by Kershaw. A lot of different Padres contributed offensively but the offensive player of the series is Abraham Almonte. He contributed in each game, getting 6 hits in the 3 games, one of them being a double, while scoring 2 runs. He set up the only run the Padres would score against Kershaw by leading off the 7^th with a base hit and advancing on a long fly ball to third. Jedd Gyorko also had 3 hits in the series, including a 3-run home run in Game 1 that gave the Padres an early 3-0 lead. The Padres only had four extra base hits in the entire series. They were also 7-for-24 with runners in scoring position, a .292 average.

Aug 19, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko (9) hits a three run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 L, 8-6

The Padres got the series started with a bang when Jedd Gyorko smacked his 9^th home run of the season. The Dodgers battled back, however. They got to Ian Kennedy for 5 runs and 7 hits. Carl Crawford and Justin Turner pestered the Padres all night. They combined for 5 hits, 5 runs scored, a home run, 5 RBI and a stolen base. Defense also betrayed the Padres when Jake Goebbert fielded a bunt and spiked it past Yangervis Solarte at third, giving the Dodgers a 5-3 lead. The Dodgers led the rest of the way. Abraham Almonte did his part for the Padres offense, collecting 4 hits and scoring once. The offenses for both teams were firing on all cylinders as the two teams combined for 14 runs and 23 hits. Neither starting pitcher had a great game but Kevin Correia got his 7^th win and Kennedy got tagged for his 11^th loss.

The Padres were 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Rarely do that Padres hit that well and lose. The bullpen had its share of mishaps as well. Dale Thayer was charged with a run when Alex Torres surrendered a two-run home run to Crawford. The Padres threatened in the 9^th but Almonte was gunned down by Yasiel Puig, which killed the rally.

Aug 20, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Eric Stults (53) throws in the 2nd inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 W, 4-1

Fortune was on the Padres side in Wednesday’s 4-1 win. The Friars took control early when Alexi Amarista and pitcher Eric Stults singled in runs to make it 3-0 after 2 innings. The Dodgers responded in the third with a sacrifice fly by Matt Kemp. The Padres then made it 4-1 when Solarte hit a sacrifice fly of his own, scoring Rymer Liriano.

Liriano had a good game. He had reached base 3 times with 2 hits and a walk and he also scored two of the four runs. He also added his first career double when he lined Brian Wilson’s pitch into the right center gap. Eric Stults has pitched very well in August, going 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA. He threw 5 solid innings, only allowing 4 hits and a run. The bullpen shut the door as usual with 4 scoreless innings and only allowing 2 hits down the stretch. Matt Kemp had an opportunity to tie the game with runners on first and third in the bottom of the 8^th but Dale Thayer kept his cool and got the out. Kevin Quackenbush nabbed his first career save in place of the injured Joaquin Benoit, who may need a trip to the disabled list.

Aug 21, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws in the second inning of the game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 L, 2-1

In the finale, the Padres ran into the buzzsaw that is Clayton Kershaw. It was a heart-breaker as the Padres did take a late 1-0 lead against him in the 7^th only to see that lead disappear with one swing on Justin Turner’s go-ahead home run in the 8^th. The Dodgers eventually held on to win 2-1.

It was a classic pitcher’s duel between Tyson Ross and Kershaw. Both pitched 8 innings. Ross only allowed 4 hits but that fateful home run was enough for the loss. He looked just as good as Kershaw throughout the game, striking out 8 and only walking 2. Kershaw only allowed 3 hits and only one run. He struck out 10 Padres. The loss puts Ross at 11-12 and Kershaw moves to 15-3. This is not the first time Ross has been handed a loss after pitching a gem. He only needed 75 pitches to get through the first 7 innings. Kershaw took a no-hitter into the 6^th inning. The only run he allowed was in the 7^th when Abraham Almonte led off the inning with a single and a few batters later he got to third base. Then Rene Rivera came through with an RBI single. Rivera also had a busy day defensively, gunning down Carl Crawford and Dee Gordon on the base paths.

Aug 20, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres outfielders Abraham Almonte (16), Will Venable and Rymer Liriano celebrate the Padres 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Where They Stand

The Padres now sit at 59-67, still in third place in the NL West. They are seven games ahead of their next opponent, the Diamondbacks and nine games ahead of the last place Rockies. The Padres just ran into some good pitching against the Dodgers and they could not quite pull out the series win. Offensively, the Padres have come a long way since their .214 batting average during the first half of the season. They now have their average all the way up to .227, the highest it has been in months.

A few Padres are seeing their averages rise. Seth Smith had 3 hits in the series, putting his average at .296, which leads the Padres by a comfortable margin. Jedd Gyorko is finally over the Mendoza line at .202. The newcomers of Yangervis Solarte and Almonte continue to contribute, as Solarte had 2 hits, an RBI and a run scored in the series. He is hitting .263 in 25 games since joining the Padres.

Even With Good Pitching, Padres Lose Series

Schedule