A big reason the Dodgers have been so much better than the Padres for the better part of a century is L.A. is more fundamentally sound than San Diego is. Simply put, the Dodgers don't beat themselves while the Friars have tended to self-sabotage.
On Saturday night, in front of 44,444 at Petco Park, that was definitely not the case.
The Padres played error-free baseball for a Major League record 16th straight game and got a walkoff sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to top the Dodgers 3-2, evening their series at one game a piece.
Yu Darvish got the start and looked like he wasn't going to last very long. The right-hander struggled through a 2nd inning where he threw more than 30 pitches, loaded the bases on a single and two walks to bring up former MVP Mookie Betts. On a 3-2 count Darvish whiffed Betts and suddenly looked like his All-Star self. Darvish went 6.0 shutout innings, striking out seven and only allowing one hit.
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He left with a 2-0 lead but the bullpen couldn't hold it. Luis Garcia allow-back back-to-back singles to start the 8th inning before striking out Betts (who whiffed an uncharacteristic four times on the night). That's when manager Bob Melvin asked closer Taylor Rogers for a 5-out save. The lefty punched out Freddie Freeman but left a pitch up and Trea Turner smoked it off the left field wall for a 2-run double to tie it 2-2.
As games between the Dodgers and Padres often do, it ended up going to extra innings. That's when the San Diego defense shined through again.
Gavin Lux lofted a fly ball to Jurickson Profar close to the left field warning track. Chris Taylor tried to tag from 2nd base and advance but Profar threw a strike to Manny Machado at 3rd base to cut down Taylor by a foot and a half. In the bottom of the inning the Friars got to start with C.J. Abrams on 2nd. He's one of the fastest players in the game.
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The Padres used that speed to bring him home without a hit.
Trent Grisham laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Abrams to 3rd and Austin Nola brought the speedster home with a medium-depth fly ball to left. With C.J.'s wheels it might as well have been a double to the gap. The rookie tagged and scored easily to give San Diego a walkoff win.
They can take the series from their long time tormentors on Sunday afternoon with Sean Manaea on the mound against Clayton Kershaw.
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