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Final: Padres win 4-3 on Craig Kimbrel’s walk-off bases-loaded walk
SAN DIEGO — Even after being demoted from the closer role last week, Craig Kimbrel blew another game for the Dodgers on Tuesday night.
The embattled right-hander was far from the only culprit in the Dodgers’ 4-3 defeat to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
The hosts opened the scoring in a two-run first inning that was extended when Justin Turner fell down fielding a potential inning-ending double-play.
The Padres later broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth after Chris Taylor dropped a running catch in left to begin the inning and Turner committed another error with two outs and the bases loaded.
The game was extended thanks to some Padres miscues in the ninth. After Trea Turner led off with a double, he advanced to third on an error by the shortstop then scored on catcher Jorge Alfaro’s passed ball with two outs.
In the end, however, the game came down to Kimbrel, who last week was removed from the closer role but still found himself in a high-leverage spot in the 10th.
He was quickly in a jam, after Ha-Seong Kim dropped a sacrifice bunt to move automatic runner Jose Azocar to third and Juan Soto was intentionally walked.
Kimbrel did get to two outs after fanning Manny Machado.
But after a Brandon Drury walk loaded the bases, Alfaro came up and redeemed himself by drawing a full-count walk, giving the Padres their third walk-off win against the Dodgers this year (and fourth in which they scored the winning run in the ninth inning or later).
Final: Padres 4, Dodgers 3
Dodgers tie the game again on a passed ball in the ninth; game headed to extras
Down to their final out, the Dodgers got a game-saving gift in the top of the ninth.
After Trea Turner doubled and advanced to third on a Padres error, the speedy shortstop raced home on a passed ball by catcher Jorge Alfaro with two outs in the inning to tie the game.
The Dodgers had a chance to take the lead, too, but Chris Taylor flied out to left with two runners aboard, dropping the Dodgers to 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position tonight with 13 men stranded on base.
Tommy Kahnle took the mound in the bottom of the ninth and worked around an infield single to send the game to extras.
End 9th: Tied 3-3
Padres take lead after more shaky Dodgers defense
The Dodgers defense has put them in a late-game hole.
In the bottom of the eighth, Chris Taylor dropped the ball trying to make a running catch in left against leadoff hitter Austin Nola, for what was ruled a double.
After a couple walks from Caleb Ferguson loaded the bases with one out, Dave Roberts summoned Chris Martin out of the bullpen to face Manny Machado and Brandon Drury.
Martin struck out Machado and broke Drury’s bat on a potential inning-ending grounder. However, third baseman Justin Turner bobbled the ball and fired a throw to first that was a half-second too late, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
Josh Hader will now try to close this game out for the Padres.
End 8th: Padres lead 3-2
Tyler Anderson completes strong six-inning start as game remains tied
After giving up two runs during a first inning in which his infield failed to turn a potential inning-ending double-play, Tyler Anderson found a groove against a potential playoff foe in a strong six-inning start.
Between the second and sixth innings, he retired the last 15 batters he faced.
He probably could have worked deeper into the game, but was replaced at the beginning of the seventh after 71 pitches.
He remained fifth among qualified National League pitchers in ERA, as well, concluding the night with a 2.54 mark over a team-high 173 ⅔ innings.
Evan Phillips entered in the seventh and stranded an infield single, keeping the score knotted.
End 7th: Tied 2-2
Dodgers almost squander another big chance, but then tie game with two-out rally in sixth
After Blake Snell threw 98 pitches in five scoreless innings, the Dodgers immediately created a threat against the first reliever out of the Padres bullpen, loading the bases with one out in the sixth against Nick Martinez.
For a brief moment, it looked like Martinez had escaped the jam by getting an inning-ending double-play grounder from Max Muncy.
The Dodgers challenged the call, however, and it got overturned after a review showed Muncy had beat out the throw to first.
A batter — and Padres pitching change — later, Chris Taylor tied the game by lining an RBI single to center off Robert Suarez.
Mid 6th: Tied 2-2
Dodgers working counts but still not on the board
The Dodgers have had no problem making Blake Snell work so far.
Through three innings, the Padres left-hander has thrown 67 pitches and been in a full count to eight of 11 batters.
However, he has kept the Dodgers off the board, stranding a leadoff single from Mookie Betts in the first before working around a pair of one-out walks in the third by getting Trea Turner to line into an inning-ending double-play.
Mid 3rd: Padres lead 2-0
Padres open scoring with two runs in first inning
The Dodgers seemingly had a chance to get out of the first inning unscathed, when Manny Machado hit a potential inning-ending double play ball to third.
Justin Turner, however, fell down while fielding it, recovering to get the lead runner out but not both.
That allowed Brandon Drury to hit a two-out double before Wil Myers snuck a two-run single up the middle to open the scoring.
End 1st: Padres lead 2-0
Updates on Dustin May, Blake Treinen, Tony Gonsolin
Another day, another round of updates on three of the Dodgers most important injured pitchers with the playoffs nearing.
In San Diego, Dustin May (back) and Blake Treinen (shoulder) both played catch on Tuesday. Tony Gonsolin (forearm), meanwhile, pitched two innings in a rehab start with triple A Oklahoma City.
All three pitchers remain questionable to be ready for the Dodgers’ National League Division Series, which begins on Oct. 11.
A couple of them, however, seem to be trending in more positive directions.
Gonsolin seems closest to return to big-league action. In his Tuesday rehab start, he averaged 92.6 mph with his fastball. He used all four of his pitches. And he threw some more in the bullpen after his outing ended.
Manager Dave Roberts said, if Gonsolin comes out of his start feeling well, the right-hander could make a start during the team’s final homestand next week against the Colorado Rockies.
He will likely only get stretched out to four innings, at the most, before the start of the NLDS. However, Roberts said it’s possible Gonsolin could be one of four starters in the team’s NLDS rotation.
“That’s the hope,” Roberts said.
May appears next closest to a return.
While the right-hander won’t be eligible to pitch again in the regular season after being placed on the injured list this week, he resumed playing catch on Tuesday and said he is “completely confident” he’ll be healthy for the NLDS.
“It’s just day to day,” May said. “We’re just going to start feeling it out. If it feels good, we’ll keep progressing and if it gets irritated we’ll step back. But at this point, after how well today went, I feel we’re in a good spot.”
Roberts said Treinen is further behind schedule than May.
On Tuesday, Treinen resumed throwing for the first time in a week after being shut down because his shoulder wasn’t bouncing back as hoped.
Treinen said his catch play on Tuesday went well, but acknowledged he is still unsure if he will be healthy in time for the NLDS.
“Obviously, I want to play,” he said. “We’re just trying to figure out a way to make it work where it’s beneficial for the team. Hopefully we can figure something out for the playoffs.”
David Price activated after wrist injury
After missing more than three weeks with a wrist injury, reliever David Price was activated by the Dodgers before their series-opener against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
Andre Jackson was optioned in a corresponding move.
Price, 37, hasn’t pitched since Aug. 29 because of his wrist issue, which manager Dave Roberts said the pitcher had been battling for much of the season.
Despite that, Price has a 2.58 ERA in 38 appearances in his first full season as a reliever.
A pending free agent, Price is still undetermined if he will retire at the end of the season. You can read more about that here.
Here is the Dodgers lineup for Tuesday, when Tyler Anderson (15-4, 2.52 ERA) will take the mound against Blake Snell (8-9, 3.62 ERA).
Dave Roberts still backs his World Series guarantee despite Dodgers pitching issues
Dave Roberts had enough.
“This will be the last I’ll talk about this …” he said.
And who could blame him, Roberts talking about his October pitching plans sort of like the captain of the Titanic discussing the final stretch of the ocean liner’s voyage.
The Dodgers won their 106th game Sunday to equal a franchise record and secure home-field advantage through the National League Championship Series, but there are treacherous waters ahead.
They won’t have Walker Buehler and probably won’t have Blake Treinen.
They won’t have a closer, as Craig Kimbrel was demoted to mop-up duty earlier in the weekend.
How to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the 2022 regular season: