The Dodgers Hold The Padres Scoreless For 24 Straight Innings On Their Way To Facing The Mets In the NLCS
My goodness, this San Diego Padres collapse is one for the ages. I've NEVER seen a team with more momentum. They had everything going for them. Fernando Tatis Jr. had just hit a monster home run and danced around like a peacock according to Ken Rosenthal, Freddie Freeman was limping around and the Padres had a 2-1 lead and could smell a chance the Mets. Mookie Betts hadn't had a hit in the playoffs since like 1998, the Dodgers looked dead in the water, Manny had bitched Dave Roberts and "ball toss gate" was in full effect. How in the world did the Padres not capitalize on all of that and bury the Dodgers? They last scored 24 innings ago, that was Tuesday night. Crazy to think that the Tatis home run was the last run we saw them score. Again they had every ounce of momentum behind them and then just shut it down. The bats did nothing and the Dodgers pitching did everything. That bullpen was absolutely lights out in every single situation, what an impressive few games out of that pen.
That Padres offense though, I mean they just fell right off the face of the earth. I saw this happen with the Orioles and it wasn't a surprise because of how they played in the second half, I am SHOCKED at this falloff because of the energy around them and the series. I mean the Dodgers pitching was just fantastic too, all the credit to them Game 5 especially, they sat down 19 straight Padres on their way to a second straight shutout. 8 relievers combined to blank the Padres 8-0 in Game 4 before the handed it over to their second best offseason acquisition, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Boy was he good too. After pissing all over himself in Game 1, he stepped up massively in Game 5. 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk and 2 Ks. Not your typical ace outing but in the playoffs, especially a do or die game, that will do. Their bullpen was disgustingly stingy these last 2 and a half games, absolutely gross stuff from Evan Phillips and company. The fact that the Dodgers arms could do this after the amount of injuries they've had, it's something.
The Padres bats who were hot, hot, hot could not sniff anything and it's befuddling. It's like they spent too much time worrying about Ken Rosenthal sniffing around their dugout than trying to hit. Who knows if that is what they got caught up in and they couldn't get their minds back in the game. I thought there was no way they'd let the Dodgers get 2 after that situation, Kenny boy got the last laugh there. Manny talked a big game and then sunk down. The Padres got their laughs off but man did they fall flat on their face.
Dodgers advance and still didn't get a great series from Shohei Ohtani outside of his home run in Game 1. Only batting .200 in the series with a .273 OBP. That homer being his only extra base hit as well, he was a non-factor this series. Mookie showed signs of life at least, he realized that his team needed him unlike that ogre out in New York. Mookie could have had 3 homers if not for Profar and his rob job on Sunday Night. Back-to-back games with homers were huge for him too, so it was nice to see him look alive. Teoscar Hernandez is just awesome and had a good series, seems like every time he's up late in a game there are guys on and he comes through, his agent is loving this postseason run for him. And how about Kiké Hernández with more big balls moments this series, plus he gave us this moment from the postgame interview.
Now we get Dodgers - Mets which will bring up memories of Chase Utley snapping Tejada's leg like a twig. Going to have some GREAT fan interactions this series, what a polar opposite group. I think the take away from this series is how bad the Padres choked. Seemed like they had the entire internet and baseball fans rallying behind them due to the softness and weird tantrum from Dave Roberts, but they just let that go right out. What a weird, weird series for them. That clubhouse can not be a fun place to be right now. Dodgers kind of are inevitable, now we see if they can get by Hawk Tuah, Grimace and the Mets Aliens.