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USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Padres must prove they're worth 'bold move' at MLB trade deadline
WASHINGTON — One hundred games into a season is typically long past time a ballclub has its identity firmly established. Yet the San Diego Padres know it's not too late to show the world exactly how good they are. And more specifically, to prove to club president A.J. Preller that their squad is worthy of the aggressive moves for which he's so renowned. 'We need to show him what we're capable of,' All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. tells USA TODAY Sports, 'to see what kind of bold move he'll make.' For now, the Padres have proven they're playoff caliber: They hold down the final wild card spot in the National League and lurk just 3 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. They began the second half by winning two of three games at Washington, the start of a 10-game humidity tour that will afford them climate-controlled indoor baseball in Miami before four games at St. Louis precede a return to San Diego's saner dew points. It was on this almost exact trip last year – also the first after the All-Star break - that the Padres won seven of nine games, going from .500 team to a club that gave the Dodgers the hardest punch of the playoffs before losing a five-game NL Division Series. And after that post-break burst, Preller juiced up the bullpen, swinging deals to land All-Star relievers Jason Adam and Tanner Scott, a just reward for a club that earned it. Now, these Padres face something of a last dance. Oh, it's never over in San Diego, not when veterans like Manny Machado ($350 million through 2033), Xander Bogaerts ($280 million, 2033) and Tatis ($340 million, 2034) are wrapped up well into the next decade, and eight other players locked into multi-year deals through at least 2027. But a mini-window of sorts is closing: Starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King, the major pieces of their pivot to deal Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, are free agents after this season. The extent to which San Diego attempts to retain them this winter, or backfill the rotation via free agency, should be telling about the near-term fate of the franchise, which lost its franchise scion when owner Peter Seidler passed away in November 2023. While overflow crowds at Petco Park and the many long-term commitments ensure the Padres will stay competitive, coming years may suggest a re-tooling or at least easing the foot up on the gas. For now, though, there's still a pennant to chase, and a case to make. 'This is the stretch,' says Cease, who shrugged off a first half in which he posted a 4.88 ERA to strike out 10 in his first start after the break. 'Obviously all the games are important. But this is really, probably going to define who we're going to be at the end of the day.' With a president of baseball operations surely watching closely. 'I don't think in terms of that,' says Cease, 'but the better position we're in you know the more aggressive he's probably more willing to be. 'But he's probably going to be aggressive either way.' And Preller would be augmenting a club that, despite its 54-45 record, knows there's a little more in the tank. 'Didn't let 'em breathe' The Padres were hard to miss at the July 15 All-Star Game, what with five representatives led by Tatis and MVP candidate Manny Machado. Yet the remainder of their reps came from one unit: The bullpen. They were well-earned nods, with Robert Suárez leading the majors with 28 saves and Adam (2.05 ERA) and lefty Adrian Morejon (1.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) dominant almost every time out. Yet Adam and Morejon have already pitched in 48 games, one less than the major league leaders in that category. Jeremiah Estrada has logged 47 appearances. And the Padres have played 55 games decided by two runs or less, second-most in the majors. Fortunately, they're 34-21 in such games, yet the bullpen has burned a lot of high-leverage fuel to prop them up, and the sustainability questions will swirl if there are any late-inning hiccups. To put it bluntly: The Padres need to start kicking some teams' butts. 'Didn't let 'em breathe,' an approving manager Mike Shildt said after the Padres jumped the Nationals in an 8-1 victory to claim the series Sunday. 'If we continue to do that – we add on – watch out. 'This team will be even more dangerous than it already is.' That victory was jump-started by Machado and Tatis drawing first-inning walks and Bogaerts jumping All-Star MacKenzie Gore for a first-inning grand slam; it was 5-0 after one inning and 8-0 after three. And it continued Bogaerts' tear; he's raised his batting average 40 points since June 19, his .382 average second in the majors in that stretch. Bogaerts, who turns 33 Oct. 1, has had an uneven first two years in San Diego, his OPS falling 102 points to .688 last season. Yet he's back at his familiar shortstop post and exemplifying this Padre group's ethos: Make good swing decisions, get the ball in play, catch the ball and run the bases aggressively and smartly. Bogaerts' 16.2% strikeout rate is his best since 2015, when he was 22 and in his first full season with Boston. The Padres' 695 strikeouts are fewest in the NL – 68 less than the nearest playoff contender, the Cubs. 'Just trying to swing at strikes,' says Bogaerts, who has stolen 16 bases in 17 attempts. 'Keep working and keeping the same routine.' Shildt is a bit more effusive. 'Just looks under control. Balanced. Everything looks smooth. He's got a lot of (stolen bases), right there with Tati. And he's playing as good a shortstop as anybody in baseball. 'We're getting an All-Star version of Bogey.' A division shot, a shot in the arm As they pass the 100-game mark in Miami, the Padres can feel good in who they are, and what is at stake. 'I know we have a good team," says Bogaerts. "We have to play some really good baseball. We have a tough stretch coming up and a big second half, so hopefully we can get there.' Indeed, 29 of their next 35 games are against teams with winning records; the Padres are just 20-32 against teams better than .500 this season. Things aren't optimal, but you can see help from here. King, currently on the injured list with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder, is throwing bullpen sessions and hopes for an August return. In his stead, Nick Pivetta – signed when the veteran righty hit a free agent road bump due to the qualifying offer – is pitching better than he has in his nine-year career. Jackson Merrill, who probably should have won NL Rookie of the Year honors last year, has been slowed by a pair of IL stints yet still has a runway to salvage the rest of his sophomore season. And for better or worse, they'll be done with the Dodgers by Aug. 24 after playing them six times in a 10-game stretch. Of their final 27 games, 10 are against the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, the two worst teams in baseball. 'We have a chance to win the division out here,' says Tatis. 'We got a lot of baseball ahead of us. It's a matter of taking care of business and staying consistent.' And then there is the deadline. The Padres' needs are not unlike almost every other contender: A starting pitcher. Another outfield or DH bat, preferably right-handed. And perhaps another reliever, though the Padres are dealing from a position of strength rather than the relief misery many other clubs find themselves in. 'There is great talent in this room,' says catcher Martin Maldonado, the 38-year-old veteran of six Houston Astros playoff runs. 'The pitching staff is amazing.' In fact, the Padres believe, whatever additions arrive can only build upon something solid. Perhaps they will push them to a division title, a round deeper in the playoffs. Point is, the Padres have put themselves in position to reap those rewards. 'Almost every facet of the game we've been good,' says Shildt, citing the consistency of the team's at-bats as the last piece to slide into place. 'I do feel like we're in a good spot and trending to a great spot.'
Chicago Tribune
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Chicago Cubs offense has been a machine so far — but it still could use a little help
With the Chicago Cubs on pace to finish with their best run-producing season since 1930, manager Craig Counsell was asked over the weekend if he ever was associated with such a high-efficiency offense as a player or manager. The Cubs entered the final road trip of the first half Tuesday in Minnesota with 492 runs in 90 games, second in the majors to the Los Angeles Dodgers' 501 runs. Counsell paused for a second and said he wasn't sure. 'I don't think so. Nothing really comes to mind,' he said. 'But as a player I don't know if I was ever really aware of that necessarily. I mean, I thought I was a great offensive player when I was a player. I look back and I wasn't that great.' True, though Counsell did compile a 5.5 WAR with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005, eighth among National League position players. He was a so-called grinder who lasted 16 years and played on two championship teams — the 1997 Florida Marlins and 2001 Diamondbacks — that mostly relied on great starting pitching. The '97 Marlins ranked 20th among 28 major-league teams with 740 runs, while the '01 Diamondbacks ranked eighth among 30 teams with 818 runs. The 2025 Cubs entered Tuesday on pace to score 885 runs, which would be their highest total since the 1930 team finished with 998. That was the season Cubs outfielder Hack Wilson set a longtime NL record with 56 home runs and drove in 191 runs, which remains the major-league mark. It was a much different era, of course, but the same home ballpark, Wrigley Field, and the same general wind patterns by the lake: blowing in early and late in the season and blowing out during much of the summer. In the current century, the closest offensive equivalent would be Lou Piniella's 2008 team that won 97 games and then got swept by the Dodgers 3-0 in the NL Division Series. If the Cubs hope to get to the World Series, the Dodgers once again appear to be in their way. The key would be to finish with one of the top two NL records and avoid the wild-card round, then win a division series. Facing the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series would be a tall task but doesn't seem quite as imposing as it did in March, when the two met in the season-opening series in Tokyo with the Dodgers winning both games. Like the Cubs, injuries have affected the Dodgers' starting pitching, though they have Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the mend and remain the best team in baseball even without the two bona fide aces. Meanwhile, several Cubs hitters have outperformed expectations — notably Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch — to make the offense a first-half juggernaut. No one would've predicted that a year ago. Outside of right fielder Kyle Tucker, catcher Carson Kelly and rookie third baseman Matt Shaw, it's mostly the same group of hitters that stumbled for two months in the first half of last season, giving the Cubs a 6.1% chance of making the postseason on July 6, 2024. On Tuesday gave the Cubs a 95% chance of making it and a 41.3% chance of clinching a bye. Starting pitching will be the focus at the trade deadline, but another bat also would be preferable, especially if Shaw doesn't start to come around. He was 1-for-18 in July entering Tuesday and was hitting .165 with a .480 OPS since May 31. Shaw hasn't even hit lefties (a .196 average), but he has remained the starter thanks to his stellar defense and a lack of better bench options. Cubs third basemen overall are last in the majors in hitting (.199) and slugging (.261). That means any deadline deal by Cubs President Jed Hoyer likely would be made with an eye on the postseason, when opponents are likely to throw left-handers against a team that has been vulnerable to lefty starters. 'You need right-handers (at the plate),' Counsell said. 'That's kind of the name of the game.' Switch hitter Ian Happ is hitting .225 against left-handers, while left-handed hitters Crow-Armstrong (.187) and Busch (.191) also have struggled in that category. Busch has only 47 at-bats against lefties because Counsell usually platoons him with Justin Turner, a plan he might reconsider after Busch's monster week and Turner's subpar season. 'I've always felt pretty comfortable against lefties,' Busch said. 'I just think we have a group that, no matter who is pitching, no matter who is in the lineup, whoever is in there, just try to do your best.' Counsell has navigated his way through the obstacle course so far, and the Cubs' 54-36 record speaks for itself. He's the likely NL Manager of the Year front-runner with a team that was favored to win the division but not be a serious World Series threat, and he could join former Cubs managers Jim Frey (1984), Don Zimmer (1989), Piniella (2008) and Joe Maddon (2015) in winning an award based on regular season only. With a team on pace to win 97 games, Counsell's decision-making will be scrutinized by fans more than ever. He's fine with that, pointing out he's in a job 'where a lot of people place their opinions on (his performance). I've done that job for a long time, so it's pretty normal.' A reporter told Counsell on Saturday that 'now everybody thinks you're the greatest manager ever' after the same people criticized him last year. Not everyone thinks that, of course, and not everyone blamed Counsell for the 2024 offense that careened into a ditch in late April and didn't recover for two months. He's the same guy with many of the same hitters. But it's a better offensive team and Counsell has seen much better results. Is it the manager? The Tucker effect? The rise of PCA? Counsell tiptoed around the topic instead of outright rejecting the 'greatest manager ever' narrative, saying his role is simply to help players win games and provide entertainment value for fans. 'I've always thought you wake up and try to make good decisions from that lens every single day,' he said. 'It gets you where it gets you. Some years you're going to be disappointed where it gets you. That's the nature of competitive sports. … I go to sleep every night fine.' Sounds like a mattress commercial might be in Counsell's future.
New York Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Padres have ample reason to regret trading for Juan Soto. A.J. Preller insists he doesn't
SAN DIEGO — As the Padres hosted the Washington Nationals over the past few days, with James Wood flaunting his power in his Petco Park debut and MacKenzie Gore firing six strong innings and CJ Abrams flying around the bases, A.J. Preller watched the proceedings with what he later described as something resembling satisfaction. Advertisement Almost three years ago, San Diego's president of baseball operations agreed to a historic blockbuster, surrendering coveted young players Wood, Gore, Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana in order to acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto. This week, two curtailed postseason trips later, the Padres find themselves on the crowded fringes of the National League playoff picture, fielding multiple roster holes and likely faced with limited flexibility ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. Yet, speaking after the Padres eked out a second consecutive one-run victory, Preller was reflective, if not defiant. He praised his scouts for identifying the five prospects who eventually comprised an unprecedented trade-deadline package. He pointed to Soto's role in helping the Padres to the 2022 National League Championship Series, as well as the return San Diego secured for sending him to the New York Yankees before last year's run to the NL Division Series. And he said he felt happiness for Wood, Gore and Abrams, a trio with the potential to outnumber or at least match the tally of Padres representatives in next month's All-Star Game. FLEECE EM — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 24, 2025 'Honestly,' Preller said Wednesday, 'I think in the baseball ops group we look back with a lot of pride and not regret.' The coming weeks and months could either reinforce or alter those feelings. The Padres, at 44-36, are in a tie for the NL's final wild-card spot. Their offense continues to disappoint. Their shorthanded pitching staff continues to demonstrate resilience, even as Dylan Cease and Michael King move closer to free agency. Team officials maintain that their farm system, depleted by years of win-now moves, has become significantly underrated, but the Padres also must contend with certain financial realities. For one, no team has a larger gap between its payroll ($211 million, as estimated by FanGraphs) and its luxury-tax figure ($263 million, slightly above the second tax threshold). Advertisement Perhaps the Padres can take solace in the fact that the Nationals have failed to optimize their own position. The Nationals entered Wednesday having received at least 2.5 wins above replacement this season from each of Wood, Gore and Abrams. They were one of only three teams with three such players. The other two clubs, the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros, occupy familiar perches atop their respective divisions. Despite the performance and low salaries of their standout trio, the Nationals are on pace for a fifth consecutive 90-loss season. An end to their lengthy rebuild does not appear imminent. In July 2022, an end to an even longer wait was on Preller's mind. The executive had overseen club-record spending and frequent aggressive trading. Yet, more than two years after the conclusion of their rebuild, the Padres were still seeking both the first full winning season and the first full-season playoff berth of Preller's tenure. They also harbored ambitions of immediately capturing the franchise's first title. Late owner Peter Seidler gave his general manager the latitude to pursue the loftiest targets. ('Peter was not a guy that was, like, pressuring you to do anything,' Preller said. 'What he was was really open to the possibility of all different ideas.') Preller took advantage of such freedom, knowing that his quest could require giving up the likes of Wood and Gore, two players the Padres had previously deemed untouchable. 'You're hoping that we could trade for Juan Soto with none of those guys in there, but we know that's not realistic,' Preller said. 'We had a team that ended up getting to the NLCS for the third time in franchise history and was three games away from a World Series. And from day one, I've talked about playing on the big stage. That's what it's about for our franchise, is getting to a World Series and winning a World Series for San Diego. Advertisement 'And with Peter, having an ability from a payroll standpoint and a prospect standpoint to be in that conversation, I think ultimately it set us up for the last few years of playoff runs,' Preller continued. 'Juan, last year, ends up doing what he did with the Yankees but also (giving the Padres) the ability to make the trade we made to set us to up to be in the position last year to be back in the playoffs and have a team that was one of the better teams in the league and had a chance to win a World Series. That's the goal every year. I think that move directly, indirectly ends up helping us get there over the last few years.' The what-ifs of the past few years go beyond Soto's underwhelming performance in San Diego, the Padres' pitching outage in October 2022, Seidler's death in November 2023 or the 24-inning scoreless streak that ended the 2024 NLDS. In the weeks leading up to Preller's acquisition of Soto, the Padres were among the teams that had substantial discussions with the Los Angeles Angels about Shohei Ohtani. Angels owner Arte Moreno eventually pulled Ohtani off the trade market, but the Padres came away from those sweepstakes feeling they would have had a legitimate chance of landing a two-way unicorn. According to league sources, Wood, Gore, Abrams, Hassell and current Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill were among the names that came up in the conversations with the Angels. 'It was a super unique time,' Preller said. 'I think, again, it's a testament to our organization that we at least had the ability to have those conversations. There was some talk about how we had traded some prospects the (previous) two years, and we knew our system was super strong. … It was a lot of fun to be able to have those conversations about which player you would rather have — you know, three years of Soto, two years of Ohtani, and then also the guys in our system that we knew were going to go on to be great players.' At the time, Padres employees were especially high on Merrill and Wood, viewing both prospects as future stars. When both of them were sidelined with wrist injuries in May 2022, the organization brought the then-teenagers to watch a series at Petco Park and asked a top player-development official to sit with them. Now, Merrill is one of the best young center fielders in baseball. Wood, in his brief time in the majors, has resembled a left-handed, 22-year-old version of Aaron Judge. The Nationals left fielder, playing the position that represents San Diego's greatest need, is sixth in the majors with 22 home runs. He is 10th in fWAR (3.3), just one spot behind Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. 'The good news about both Soto trades is they were good for both parties, right? It allowed this club to go and do some good things in '22 and parlay into the trade we got after that,' said Padres manager Mike Shildt, who sat with Merrill and Wood during that series early in the 2022 season. 'For me, it was like, 'Man, that's so great we're getting Juan Soto. (But) ooh. James Wood.' But I don't think that was a surprise to A.J. That's the cost of doing business. What (Wood is) doing is not a surprise. He's a very gifted player, but he's also wired right with his head. He sees the game well, and he's a really mature guy.' Advertisement Said Preller: 'There was a lot of love for James. His family, mom and dad are great people. You always want really good things to happen to good people. I think that's been clear from the time we took him, and then obviously into the minor leagues, we knew he was going to be a pretty special player and a pretty unique one.' As the Padres approach another trade deadline, they must again balance their desire to chase a championship and the risk of mortgaging their future. Wood is not the only player who could have solved San Diego's current needs. Gore is the current NL strikeouts leader. Abrams, while a shaky defender, is a club-controlled shortstop with rare offensive talent. His Padres counterpart, Xander Bogaerts, was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with shoulder soreness, one of multiple injuries that have contributed to making his $280 million contract one of the more burdensome deals in the sport. 'Last year with (then-Padres chairman) Eric Kutsenda and (Padres CEO) Erik Greupner and myself, we obviously went out and made moves … that really shored up our club and put us in a spot to make the playoffs and have a chance to win a World Series,' Preller said. 'And this year, with John Seidler (as Padres chairman), I think it's been very similar conversations … open to going any direction but understanding that if we have a chance to win, we're going to do everything we can to win a championship here in San Diego.' The Padres still have two premium prospects in shortstop Leo De Vries and catcher Ethan Salas, who is expected to return next month from a stress reaction in his lower. At the moment, De Vries appears to be the lone relatively untouchable minor leaguer in a farm system that was thinned out amid last year's series of aggressive trades. This spring, The Athletic's Keith Law was one of multiple prospect writers who ranked that system near the bottom of the majors. The Padres do not necessarily agree with such evaluations. 'I can tell already in some of the initial early conversations with clubs, we have a lot of guys that have stepped forward in the system,' Preller said. 'On the pitching side, there's been a number of guys that are going out and pitching well — some of whom have been highlighted as top names in our system, top draft picks, but there's been a group of guys that have continued to get better. … Whether that plays into the trade deadline or more so that plays into the next few years, I think that's been a real good development for us.' Advertisement Would the Padres consider selling if they fall out of the wild-card race next month? 'We've had years where we've been aggressive. We've had years where we stood pat. We've had years where we've pivoted and dealt for prospects and minor-league players. I think your team kind of tells you where we're at. I think we're always open-minded,' Preller said. 'And I think for right now, it's looking like we're hoping to add to the club we have, but we're always going to be open to what direction we need to go and that makes the most sense for the team for now and the future.' This week, the past resurfaced as a popular topic. Wood starred in his first official game at Petco Park, driving in four runs, while Abrams also supplied three hits. Gore pitched well enough Wednesday to win a series against his former team. He didn't win it, in part because Wood and Abrams combined to go 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in the finale. The next several weeks will help shape the Padres' course, but for right now, Preller appears ready to keep swinging.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Devers Trade to Giants Shifts Power in NL West
When Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants late last year, he promised to rely on his playing pedigree as a three-time World Series-winning catcher to make the Giants relevant again. Sunday, Posey followed through on that promise. He obtained Rafael Devers in a mega-trade with the Boston Red Sox, giving the Giants a big left-handed power bat in the lineup for the first time since Barry Bonds finished his career with the team in 2007. Advertisement More from Devers, 28, has already hit 215 home runs in his nine-year career – at least 30 homers twice. The Giants haven't had a 30-homer hitter in a single season since Bonds smacked 45 in 2004. Bonds is the all-time MLB leader with 762. 'We're obviously excited about adding one of the best hitters in all of Major League Baseball to our lineup,' Posey told writers after Sunday night's game in Los Angeles, where the Giants lost to the Dodgers, 5-4, at Dodger Stadium. 'We'd been in conversations for a few weeks and felt there was some momentum.' The Giants were tied last week with the Dodgers, if for only one day, before losing the final two games of the series. They are now two games out and the Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the injured list. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the mound to start Monday's game, a year and nine months after his second Tommy John surgery. Advertisement The Giants haven't been this close to the lead since winning the 2021 NL West by one game over the Dodgers, who wound up defeating their rivals in a tough five-game NL Division Series. Afterwards, battered and beaten, Posey retired from the playing field and later became one of the club's many minority partners, an equity position he still maintains. For the Dodgers it was the only time since 2012 they failed to win the division title, and the Giants haven't made the playoffs since. The Red Sox, meanwhile, continue to purge high-priced home-grown talent: Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and now Devers, who helped them win the 2018 World Series over the Dodgers. All three players now reside in the NL West, continuing a transfer of power and resources from the American League East. Betts was traded to the Dodgers, Bogaerts signed with the Padres as a free agent, and Devers is now gone, traded for two Major League pitchers—Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, and a pair of minor leaguers. Boston got virtually nothing in the 2020 Betts trade, with only catcher Connor Wong remaining on the big-league roster. Advertisement By not attempting to re-sign Betts, who has helped the Dodgers to a pair of World Series titles since the trade, they put all their money into Devers, signing him to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract. The Giants inherit the final eight-plus years of that deal bringing their overall payroll to $210.3 million, 13th in MLB, but about half of the $405.4 million the league-leading Dodgers are spending. They also inherit the situation that seemingly chased Devers out of Boston—his reluctance to change positions when needed this season. He was the regular Red Sox third baseman until they moved him to DH after signing Alex Bregman in the offseason. But when Tristan Casas injured his left knee and was lost for the season, Devers refused to move again to fill the gap at first base. In San Francisco, incumbent third baseman Matt Chapman is out for at least a few weeks after jamming three fingers on his right hand sliding headfirst into a base. Thus, Devers can start there and DH, but the Giants have their biggest problem trying to fill a void at first base. Advertisement Posey said he's not worried about what transpired with Devers in Boston, and the Giants, led by veteran manager Bob Melvin, will re-start that discussion. 'The reports I've gotten from other people across the industry is that Rafi's a great teammate,' Posey said. '[He} loves to play the game, and we're excited to have those conversations with him and figure out how he's going to best fit into our lineup defensively and offensively.' Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
10-06-2025
- Sport
Andy Pages delivers in 10th, Dodgers edge Padres 8-7 in rivals' first meeting of the season
SAN DIEGO -- Andy Pages led off the 10th inning with an RBI double before scoring on Tommy Edman's single, and the Los Angeles Dodgers hung on to open their season series against the San Diego Padres with an 8-7 victory Monday night. Will Smith homered and drove in three runs in the first of seven meetings in 11 days between the Southern California rivals. It's also a rematch of their NL Division Series last October, when the Dodgers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to eliminate San Diego with back-to-back shutouts in what proved to be their toughest playoff test on the way to a World Series championship. After Pages delivered yet another clutch hit off Wandy Peralta (3-1), Edman brought him home with a fortunate bouncer that ricocheted off second base. Jackson Merrill slugged a one-out RBI double in the 10th for San Diego, but Tanner Scott finished for his 12th save. Kirby Yates (4-2) struck out two in a hitless ninth. Tyler Wade had a three-run triple for the Padres, who have lost four of six. Nick Pivetta yielded five runs and eight hits over just four innings in his second straight rough start for the Padres, while Dustin May gave up six hits and four walks over five innings for LA. Shohei Ohtani led off with a 111-mph double and scored on a double by Freddie Freeman, who had three hits. Manny Machado had an RBI double for San Diego in the first. Smith put the Dodgers up 5-3 in the third with a two-run homer, his sixth. Wade cleared the bases for the Padres later in the third with a two-out drive that Teoscar Hernández couldn't catch while sliding in right field. Hyeseong Kim had a tying double in the fifth for the Dodgers, and neither team scored again until Pages drove in Max Muncy. In front of Petco Park's usual lively bipartisan crowd for this rivalry, both starting pitchers were battered by these powerhouse lineups for 11 combined runs in the first three innings. Dylan Cease (1-5, 4.72 ERA) pitches Tuesday for San Diego. The Dodgers hadn't announced the next patch on their injury-riddled rotation. ___
