What a difference a weekend is making for the San Diego Padres.
After being swept out of first place in the National League West last weekend by the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego is a game away from returning the favor this weekend in its home park.
The Padres aim for a sweep in Sunday’s series finale, the final game of the season between the southern California rivals.
“I thought we just flushed it,” San Diego center fielder Ramon Laureano said after Saturday night’s 5-1 win that gave his team a one-game lead in the division. “It’s a new series and a new mentality.”
The new mentality apparently is to barely allow runs or hits. Los Angeles’ powerful offense has managed two runs – both on solo homers by rookie Alex Freeland – on five hits in two games.
After Yu Darvish permitted only one hit and one run in Friday night’s 2-1 win, Nestor Cortes did him one better Saturday night. Cortes mowed down the first 16 men he faced before Miguel Rojas’ one-out single in the sixth ended the perfect game bid.
It’s been a 180-degree turn from last weekend, when Dylan Cease and Darvish put the Padres in quick holes in the series’ final two games by allowing a combined seven runs in the first inning.
“We got ourselves in holes over there,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said.
The Padres will bid for the sweep behind their best starter this year, right-hander Nick Pivetta (13-4, 2.81 ERA). He’s coming off a 5-1 win Tuesday night against San Francisco that saw him allow one run on three hits and tie a season high with 10 strikeouts over six innings.
Pivetta is 1-2 with a 3.73 ERA in seven career outings (six starts) against the Dodgers. He faced them on June 9, taking a no-decision after allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits over four innings in his team’s 8-7 loss in 10 innings.
Los Angeles counters with its top pitcher this season, right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-8, 2.90). He last pitched on Monday in Denver, yielding three runs on four hits over seven innings of his team’s 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
In three career starts against San Diego, Yamamoto is 0-2 with an 8.03 ERA, including a 5-3 loss on June 19 that saw him permit three runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.
The Dodgers entered the weekend with an 8-2 mark against the Padres, frequently getting big hits from the bottom of the lineup and shutting down San Diego’s big bats. That script hasn’t made it to this series, aside from Freeland’s homers.
Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith are hitless in the series. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have one hit each. And Los Angeles pitching, while solid, hasn’t been able to match the string of zeroes Padre pitching keeps recording.
Without a lead to protect, Los Angeles hasn’t been able to make use of its returning relievers. Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates have been activated off injured list stints but neither one has seen action this weekend.
“To get our guys back is exciting,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It takes some of the pressure off some other guys.”
–Field Level Media
