Dodgers force do-or-die Game 5 with shutout win over Padres
Dodgers force do-or-die Game 5 with shutout win over PadresSAN DIEGO — Mookie Betts homered for the second consecutive night, while Shohei Ohtani contributed with an RBI single, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 8-0 victory over Dylan Cease and the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night. The win forced a decisive Game 5 in the National League Division Series.
Will Smith and Gavin Lux each hit two-run homers for the Dodgers, snapping their two-game losing streak and sending the series back to Los Angeles for Friday night’s showdown between the NL West rivals.
"We have a bunch of grinders, a bunch of fighters," Betts said after the Dodgers recorded the largest shutout win in franchise postseason history. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy."
The Padres had taken Game 2 at Dodger Stadium in a 10-2 win, during which tempers flared on the field and in the stands.
The winner of the series will have home-field advantage in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, who eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies in their NLDS matchup.
"I'm proud. ... Your desire's got to be more than your opponent's," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "To see our guys go through what they've been through, and respond the way they have, it makes me excited about Game 5."
The Dodgers used a bullpen game, with opener Ryan Brasier and seven relievers combining to hold the Padres scoreless, extending their streak to 15 innings. Evan Phillips earned the win after retiring Jurickson Profar, Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill in just five pitches during the sixth inning.
According to ESPN Research, this was the first time in postseason history that a team threw a shutout in a game where the starting pitcher recorded fewer than four outs. The Dodgers pulled off the feat just hours after the Tigers used six relievers to beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
"Overall, the guys were efficient, understanding they'd need to go a little bit longer," Roberts said. "The efficiency of the strike zone was huge and gives us options for Game 5."
A record crowd of 47,773 at Petco Park, eager to see the Padres eliminate LA, was silenced by the Dodgers' dominant performance.
With All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman sidelined by an ankle injury, Betts and Ohtani stepped up, combining for three RBIs. Betts had two hits and Ohtani reached base three times.
In the fourth inning, with the Dodgers leading 5-0, Ohtani was thrown out trying to score from second base on a single by Teoscar Hernández. The ball deflected off third baseman Manny Machado’s glove and hit umpire Mark Ripperger, but Machado recovered in time to throw out Ohtani at home.
The Padres' decision to start Cease on short rest backfired. After getting Ohtani to ground out to start the game, Cease allowed a solo home run to Betts on a full-count pitch. He was pulled in the second inning after allowing Ohtani’s RBI single, ending his night after just 38 pitches.
"I felt good out there," Cease said. "But the results just weren't there today."
Betts later hit an RBI single on the first pitch from Bryan Hoeing, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0 and quieting the crowd.
Betts' home run in the first inning, which he celebrated as he rounded first base, came after a similar shot Tuesday night, when he initially thought Jurickson Profar had robbed him of the homer. Profar had previously denied Betts of a home run at Dodger Stadium, which led to a 12-minute delay as fans threw objects onto the field.
Betts had been in a postseason slump, going 0-for-22 before homering Tuesday night.
"I'm not trying to win the game by myself," Betts said. "We’ve got plenty of guys who can do that. I’m just focused on doing my part for the team."
Will Smith and Gavin Lux each hit two-run homers for the Dodgers, snapping their two-game losing streak and sending the series back to Los Angeles for Friday night’s showdown between the NL West rivals.
"We have a bunch of grinders, a bunch of fighters," Betts said after the Dodgers recorded the largest shutout win in franchise postseason history. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy."
The Padres had taken Game 2 at Dodger Stadium in a 10-2 win, during which tempers flared on the field and in the stands.
The winner of the series will have home-field advantage in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, who eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies in their NLDS matchup.
"I'm proud. ... Your desire's got to be more than your opponent's," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "To see our guys go through what they've been through, and respond the way they have, it makes me excited about Game 5."
The Dodgers used a bullpen game, with opener Ryan Brasier and seven relievers combining to hold the Padres scoreless, extending their streak to 15 innings. Evan Phillips earned the win after retiring Jurickson Profar, Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill in just five pitches during the sixth inning.
According to ESPN Research, this was the first time in postseason history that a team threw a shutout in a game where the starting pitcher recorded fewer than four outs. The Dodgers pulled off the feat just hours after the Tigers used six relievers to beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
"Overall, the guys were efficient, understanding they'd need to go a little bit longer," Roberts said. "The efficiency of the strike zone was huge and gives us options for Game 5."
A record crowd of 47,773 at Petco Park, eager to see the Padres eliminate LA, was silenced by the Dodgers' dominant performance.
With All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman sidelined by an ankle injury, Betts and Ohtani stepped up, combining for three RBIs. Betts had two hits and Ohtani reached base three times.
In the fourth inning, with the Dodgers leading 5-0, Ohtani was thrown out trying to score from second base on a single by Teoscar Hernández. The ball deflected off third baseman Manny Machado’s glove and hit umpire Mark Ripperger, but Machado recovered in time to throw out Ohtani at home.
The Padres' decision to start Cease on short rest backfired. After getting Ohtani to ground out to start the game, Cease allowed a solo home run to Betts on a full-count pitch. He was pulled in the second inning after allowing Ohtani’s RBI single, ending his night after just 38 pitches.
"I felt good out there," Cease said. "But the results just weren't there today."
Betts later hit an RBI single on the first pitch from Bryan Hoeing, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0 and quieting the crowd.
Betts' home run in the first inning, which he celebrated as he rounded first base, came after a similar shot Tuesday night, when he initially thought Jurickson Profar had robbed him of the homer. Profar had previously denied Betts of a home run at Dodger Stadium, which led to a 12-minute delay as fans threw objects onto the field.
Betts had been in a postseason slump, going 0-for-22 before homering Tuesday night.
"I'm not trying to win the game by myself," Betts said. "We’ve got plenty of guys who can do that. I’m just focused on doing my part for the team."
Ohtani, in his highly anticipated playoff debut, hit a three-run homer off Cease in the Dodgers’ 7-5 win on Saturday, becoming the first player in MLB history to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
Smith added a two-run homer in the third inning, and Lux hit a two-run shot in the seventh off Wandy Peralta to round out the scoring.
The Dodgers also kept Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. in check after he had hit three home runs in the first three games of the series. Brasier struck out Tatis in the first inning, marking Tatis' first strikeout in six postseason games.
"They executed as a group tonight, credit to them," Tatis said. "We’ve got to have better at-bats as a team."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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