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Padres 0, Dodgers 2
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 2–0 in Game Five of the NLDS to advance to the NLCS. Both starters, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish, pitched well. However, Yamamoto went unscathed, bolstering the boys in blue to shut out their division rival. The Padres go back-to-back games with zero runs on the board, and their season filled with promise goes down in flames. For the Dodgers, their billion-breaking off-season drags them through to the NLCS, where they face a red-hot six-seed New York Mets.
Padres – Dodgers Game Summary
Game Five started with Darvish and Yamamoto going back and forth with their best stuff. The Dodgers-Padres rivalry brewed between innings and fans in the stands. In the second inning, the zero’s across the board changed. Kike Hernandez caught a pitch and drove it for a no doubt home run into left field. The Dodger fanatics went crazy, and the energy inside Dodger Stadium shifted. Yamamoto went five innings, allowing two hits, two strikeouts and one walk. Darvish’s leash was longer. In the sixth, Teoscar Hernandez slapped a home run near the same spot as Hernandez’ shot . Padres Manager Mike Shildt pulled Darvish after 6 2/3 innings. The Padres couldn’t do anything to save their season.
Pitching
The pitching staff did its’ job for an elimination game. Darvish came on four days of rest after his immense Game Two start in Los Angeles, and he did what he needed to do. The pressure of an elimination game can get to many pitchers, but the savvy veteran went close to seven innings of two-run ball. Afterwards, the bullpen came in, they allowed no earned runs. To allow two earned runs, the offense had a massive chance to do what they needed to do.
What Went Wrong for the Padres
Hitting
What Went Right for the Dodgers
Pitching
After Game One where Yamamoto looked to be tipping his pitches, it seemed he needed to give the Padres hitters on tips. Going on five innings, he only gave up two hits. The bullpen consisting of Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Michael Kopech, andBlake Treinen shut the door, allowing no hits across four innings.
Yamamoto spoke on how he felt coming into Game Five, and he spoke with confidence, “In terms of getting ready for today’s game, I was just trying to focus on getting myself ready, preparation more meticulously. And then in terms of velo today, I think my mechanics was locked in today.”
Long Ball
The long ball got the win on Friday for the Dodgers. They put up four hits, but two of them were home runs to send their team to their first NLCS since 2021. It was nice to have the last name Hernandez tonight, hitting both of the home runs.
Kike Hernandez spoke on what pitch he was sitting on for the home run, “I was actually sitting on a curveball. Yeah, I was looking for that pitch and that pitch only. And he gave it to me, and I didn’t miss it.”
What Went Wrong for the Dodgers
You Need More
They won, but for their squad, you expect a lot more from the hitting staff. Ohtani’s postseason struggles continue after the game one heater he had. Will Smith, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, all needed to produce more this postseason. Although Freeman is battling through an injury, Betts and Ohtani need to find their bats when they face the Mets.
Quick Hits
The Dodgers eliminate the Padres in the NLCS, getting revenge of their division foes doing the same in 2022.
The Dodgers went 4–2 against the Mets in the regular season. They swept the Mets in New York, but lost two out of three at Dodger Stadium.
Looking Ahead
The Padres season will now look towards 2025 where they will aim for a bounce-back to the postseason. For the Dodgers, they face the Mets in Game One on Sunday. They will most likely send out Jack Flaherty, while the Mets will announce their Game One pitcher soon. It is a best of seven series between two teams coast to coast.
Padres skipper Mike Shildt spoke on 2024’s season as a disappointing result, but happy to spend with his team, “It’s tough to sum up. But there’s a lot of emotion taking place. Mixture, obviously a ton of disappointment in the end result. But nothing but absolute respect and admiration for our entire club. It’s a club that from day one poured everything they had into this, every single guy.”
Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts spoke on the win and where this series ranked for him, “I’ll tell you this rivals — you asked me the question — it rivals 2004 when we beat the Yankees, when I was a player with the Red Sox. It rivals beating the Braves in 2020 to get to the World Series. Those are probably — this is right there with it.”
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