*Photo from Dodger Blue*
Entering another rendition of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres rivalry, the Dodgers leaned on Will Smith and AJ Pollock for this game, and it was enough. Smith homered, Pollock drove in two runs, and the Dodgers defeated the Padres 5-2 on Tuesday night, the opener of a 3 game series.
While driving in two runs at the plate, Pollock also showed off some defensive handiwork as well. When he tried to rob a Pete Alonso homer on Sunday, he said he looked unathletic as he failed to take back the homer. When Manny Machado hit a deep fly ball in the 4th inning, which would've been a go ahead two run homer, Pollock wasn't unathletic, as he was able to jump up and make the catch this time.
Pollock said of his catch that "I was thinking of the last time I tried to rob a homer and embarrassed myself. I kinda saw that it was carrying a little bit and I didn’t want to jump late like I did last time and run into the wall. The timing was right and I was able to make the grab."
It was Smith who got things started for the Dodgers, cranking a solo home run to center field, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead to work with early. It stayed that way until the 7th, when Pollock hit a two run single to add to the lead, now 3-0. In the 8th, sacrifice flies off the bats of Justin Turner and Corey Seager made it 5-0. The Padres were able to get two runs back, when Jurickson Profar hit a two run home run in the bottom of the 8th, but that was all they could manage.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has also been happy with the way Pollock has been playing, saying that "I think since the break, he’s played as good a baseball as anybody. He’s playing really good defense, being dynamic on the bases. He’s slugging, but can downshift and get a base hit when we need it. He has just been an overall really good player."
Julio Urias got the series opening start, and moved to 14-3 on the season with the win, allowing no runs on just one hit and two walks, striking out 4 hitters in 5 innings pitched. After Urias departed, it became a bullpen carousel, with Phil Bickford, Alex Vesia, Corey Knebel, Blake Treinen, and Kenley Jansen finishing off the Padres, with Jansen picking up his 28th save of the season.
Pierce Johnson served as an opener for the Padres, lasting just one inning, getting yanked after allowing the homer to Smith in the second, getting the loss. Daniel Camarena and Reiss Knehr werre the Padres relievers responsible for two runs each in relief. Austin Adams, Emilio Pagan, Nabill Crismatt, Daniel Hudson, and Tim Hill each had shutout appearances out of the bullpen.
Padres manager Jayce Tingler lamented the struggles on offense after the game, saying that "As a group, we’re not swinging it like we’re capable of. I think other teams may recognize that, and I think they’re filling up the zone earlier on."
The Dodgers and Padres play the middle game of their 3 game series Wednesday night, with Walker Buehler getting the start for the Dodgers, and Blake Snell countering for the Padres.
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