SAN DIEGO – The Los Angeles Dodgers found another way to beat the San Diego Padres on Saturday at Petco Park.
This time, it was with a walk that saw his ace Clayton Kershaw produce the first and most transcendent run to lead the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory over the Padres.
The “wheelie” career allowed Kershaw himself to get the best part of a great pitching duel he held against Japanese Yu Darvish and backed by the Los Angeles defense, who made the plays when they were needed most.
For example, the catch in the right field by Mookie Betts to get the last out and condemn the game, when the Padres already felt they had the draw on the register, as happened the night before.
Previously, Chris Taylor made almost just one double play with a full house that held the then 1-0 lead that Kershaw produced.
So the first two games of the series matched the expectations of two clubs who will have to compete inch by inch in their remaining 17 games of this regular season and most likely in the playoffs.
Both were Dodger’s triumphs in different modalities. On Friday, they made the best part of an offensive game, with little relief pitching by the two clubs, which ended after 12 innings, 17 runs combined and the same number of pitchers; four leadership changes and three draws for five hours.
This time there was only one leader, Los Angeles, as it has practically been for over a decade in which they’ve played the annual series between the two rivals in the American League West.
Coming Saturday, it was the eighth consecutive victory of the Dodgers since last season, including the sweep in the second postseason-round and the first two of this series.
Kershaw (3-1, 2.19) scored the victory with six innings and a two-hit ball, without allowing a run, eight strikeouts and two walks, supported by three relievers, including Mexican Victor González, who scored the save in haste and with Betts’ fielding gem, but ultimately saved.
Betts made the pitch by sliding into the right meadow, as Will Myers and Jurickson Profar nearly celebrated the tie and came home from third and second respectively.
Darvish (1-1, 2.55) offered his own seven innings, one batter, nine strikeouts and just that pair of walks that cost him the game in the fifth inning.
Justin Turner only brought the flavor with a solo homerun in the ninth inning to even out the game, with his team’s ninth consecutive victory, which remains the best record in the majors (13-2) and the best for any reigning champion afterwards. the first 15 games of the season.
This intense series ends next Sunday with Blake Snell (0-1, 4.35), the new starter of the Padres (9-7) who will face the Dodgers for the first time since losing the World Series to them, when he pitched for the Tampa Bay. Shine.
Los Angeles will also be putting their new star Trevor Bauer (2-0, 2.70) on the San Diego dresser.