The San Diego Padres staged a furious comeback in the bottom of the inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 5-3 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night. In doing so, they took the series in upset fashion by a count of three games to one. The series win means the Padres will be in the NLCS for the first time since 1998.
In Game 4, the Padres were ahead for much of the game after the Dodger offense finally got a timely hit in the second to take a 2-0 lead. That lead grew to 3-0 in the top of the seventh thanks to a Will Smith sack. In the bottom of the seventh, however, the Padres rallied for five runs and grabbed a lead that San Diego’s near-perfect bullpen in this series would hold.
Now, some takeaways from Game 4.
The seventh inning was one to remember for the Padres
Entering the bottom of the seventh, the Padres were trailing 3-0 and had just a 10.8 percent chance to win Game 4, by basic expectation of victory. Then they went to work against the Dodger bullpen. Here’s the blow-by-blow:
- Jurickson Profar walks.
- Trent Grisham singles. Austin Nola singles.
- Yency Almonte relieves Tommy Kahnle.
- Ha-Seong Kim doubles, run scored.
- Juan Soto single, a run scored.
- Manny Machado shoots.
- Brandon Drury walks out.
- Alex Vesia relieves Almonte with 1-0.
- Soto steals second base.
- Jake Cronenworth does this:
That made it 5-3, and that 10.8 percent chance of the Padres winning had turned into a 90.2 percent chance of the Padres winning. Given the Padres’ “little brother” status when it comes to the Dodgers and considering the stakes, it’s not a stretch to call it one of the greatest innings in Padres franchise history.
The Padres bullpen got the job done again
Yes, San Diego’s bullpen allowed its first run of the series after taking over for starter Joe Musgrove, but it didn’t come in an authoritative way (the Dodgers pushed a run across against Steven Wilson in the top of his little ball). the seventh). After the Padres blew the lead, the bullpen scored the final six outs without any drama. The Padre pen entered Game 4 with these numbers through the first three games of the NLDS: 13 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 15 SO, 4 BB. On Saturday, they allowed one run in three innings, giving them a 0.56 ERA for the series. That’s the kind of lockout relief you need to win in the postseason these days.
Tyler Anderson delivered for the Dodgers
The 32-year-old retired lefty remains a quiet savior for the Dodgers. Armed with a refined pitch mix and a tight changeup grip, Anderson had a career year in 2022: a 2.57 ERA and 4.06 K/BB ratio in a game-high 178 ⅔ innings. team On Saturday, he authored the Dodgers’ biggest start of the season as he tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts, two walks and two hits. At one point, Anderson retired nine in a row. That’s in line with how Anderson has handled the Padres in 2022. During the regular season, he made four starts against the Padres and thrived in those 24 combined innings: 1.88 ERA, no earned runs allowed, 15 hits, 16 strikeouts, six walks, .502 OPS against.
A great Dodger season ends with a disappointment
During the regular season, the Dodgers posted a franchise-record 111 wins and a plus-334 hitting differential, both of which are two of the best in MLB history. The three losses in October shouldn’t undo what has been written in 162 games, but the reality is that the Dodgers will once again be remembered for falling short in the postseason. Dave Roberts’ club has won 217 games over the past two regular seasons without a ring to show for it.
The NLCS is established
It will be the Padres and Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. The best-of-seven matchup begins Tuesday in San Diego with a trip to the World Series on the line. The Padres, by the way, have never won the World Series. During the regular season, the Phillies won four of seven head-to-head games against San Diego and outscored them 21-15 in those contests.