In late July when San Diego was scuffling with a lack of reliable starting pitching at the back end of the rotation, manager Craig Stammen and the Padres turned to what they called “pitching chaos” by cobbling together games leaning on their bullpen.
Facing a scheduled bullpen day against the Dodgers, the red-hot Padres (87-70) offense could never fully find a rhythm against eight different Los Angeles pitchers in a 7-0 loss on Tuesday night at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium.
Michael King saw his streak of eight quality starts in a row end for the Padres, thanks in large part to all five of his runs allowed coming with two outs. Freddie Freeman drove in three runs for the Dodgers (97-60), two as part of a pivotal four-run second inning, while Tommy Edman and Will Smith hit solo homers off San Diego relievers.
The Padres had runners aboard in each of the first four innings, but none would reach third base and created just a pair of runner in scoring position opportunities. Their seven-game streak with 10-plus hits came to a close, which equaled a July stretch in 2006, as the top five in the order went a combined 1-for-17.
The game began with a first-pitch single by Fernando Tatis Jr. off righty Brock Stewart, who made his first start of the season for the Dodgers. But successive ground-outs would end the inning, then in the second against Justin Wrobleski, who ultimately got the win, San Diego couldn’t capitalize on Austin Hayes reaching on an error and a single by Luis Campusano.
King got through the first quickly, notching a pair of strikeouts, but got into a jam in the second with two down. Teoscar Hernandez reached for a low and away pitch to single through the left side, Josue De Paula dumped a knock to left and the returning Andy Pages got hit by an up-and-in 2-1 sinker.
The next two Dodgers batters drew free passes, as Edman walked on four straight balls and then Mookie Betts walked after fighting off a first-pitch fastball down the chute. Freddy Freeman then attacked a first pitch sweeper and hit it through the middle for a two-RBI single. A flyout ended the inning with the Padres trailing by four.
Manny Machado walked with two down in the third, but was the only runner allowed by Blake Treinen. San Diego generated an opportunity with two-down in the fourth, as Xander Bogaerts and Campusano hit consecutive singles off of Roki Sasaki, but the chance went for naught on a strikeout.
LA made it hurt again with two down and the bases empty in the home half, as Betts turned on a low-and-in sweeper and stroked it down the left field line for a ground-rule double. Freeman cashed in again by reaching for a dumping an RBI single to center field, putting the Padres out of grand slam range.
That would be it for King, who finished with four innings pitched and allowed six hits, five runs and two walks while striking out five. He threw 29 of his 81 pitches in the four-run second inning, then 24 in the following. A main reason for the struggles: getting strikes on just six of the 32 off-speed pitches he threw in his 10th loss of the season.
After Edwin Diaz put up the Dodger’s first one-two-three inning in the fifth, Ethan Salas pinch-hit for Hays and singled with two down off Kyle Hurt in the sixth, then a line-out closed that frame. Hurt would also get through the seventh in order.
De Paula led off the sixth, the second inning pitched by reliever Wandy Peralta, with a triple to right. But on a liner to left, Harris came in to make a sliding catch and deliver a throw home that De Paula was called out on. Edman followed up with a line-drive home run to left, which would be the only run Peralta allowed in two innings off two hits and a strikeout.
Griffin Canning allowed a solo home run to Smith in the seventh, which was the only hit he allowed in two innings to go with two walks and two strikeouts.
In the second game of the series, Robbie Ray (13-8, 3.60 ERA) will get the nod for the Padres, while right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (14-8, 2.51 ERA) will start for the Dodgers. Yamamoto has pitched into the seventh in his last five starts, completing it the last three, and has allowed two runs or fewer in four — his last time out he was unblemished at Cincinnati.
First pitch is slated for 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23 from UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium.