The Padres and Dodgers started a 3-game series at Petco Park on Friday night, their first of 13 meetings scheduled for the 2023 season. In the Padres clubhouse on Friday afternoon several players and manager Bob Melvin made it clear that last year's NLDS victory over the Dodgers was amazing. But, that was last year. They made sure to point out this is a new season and these teams are different now. And, they were absolutely right.
Last year the Padres didn't have Fernando Tatis Jr.
This year they do.
Clayton Kershaw wishes they didn't.
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Tatis hit a pair of home runs off the veteran lefty, the first a solo shot to tie the game and the second a 2-run blast to put the Friars on top in a 5-2 Padres win.
Yu Darvish started for the Padres and was shaky at the outset. He walked Mookie Betts and gave up a double to Freddie Freeman to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Darvish was able to escape with minimal damage, allowing just one run on an RBI groundout by Max Muncy around a popup and a fly ball to end the inning.
In the 2nd inning Miguel Vargas lined a triple to the fence off Darvish but was erased when David Peralta hit a rocket right at 2nd baseman Ha-Seong Kim, who calmly gloved it and doubled Vargas off 3rd base. From there on Darvish was his usual magnificent self. Yu put down the next 12 straight Dodgers hitters and finished his night after 6.2 innings, six strikeouts, and two runs allowed.
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Tatis Jr. made sure his effort would not go unrewarded. In the 3rd inning he launched a 405-foot bomb to the deepest part of Petco Park, his 3rd career home run against Kershaw to tie the game 1-1. That was but an appetizer.
Trent Grisham, who received his National League Gold Glove Award before the game, walked to lead off the 5th. Leadoff walks are never good for the pitcher. Tatis Jr. unloaded on a 111-MPH laser into the left field seats, flipping the bat, turning to his dugout and unleashing a primal scream as he bounded down the 1st base line. That shot gave Tatis Jr. his second career multi-homer game against Kershaw and lit up the 45,116 fans (the vast majority of them rooting for the home team) in attendance.
Manny Machado followed with an infield single and Juan Soto ripped a single to right field. Kershaw struck out Xander Bogaerts and Nelson Cruz before walking Jake Cronenworth, the 5th free pass he issued. Kim hit a hard grounder up the middle, where Vargas made a fantastic stop to keep it on the infield but had no play as Machado scored to make it 4-1 and end Kershaw's night.
Nick Martinez replaced Darvish and put down all four batters he faced. The Padres got another run on a groundout by Bogaerts to make it 5-2 and set up a save situation for Josh Hader.
Just like he did in Game 4 of the NLDS, he didn't grant the Dodgers a comeback opportunity. Hader worked about a walk to Will Smith to strike out Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson to lock down the win and pull the Padres within a game of 1st place in the National League West.
Game two of the series is Saturday night with another fantastic pitching matchup. Padres lefty Blake Snell, who has had some fabulous performances in his career against the Dodgers, takes the mound opposite hard-throwing LA righty Dustin May.
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