Dodgers

An 0-for-8 showing with runners in scoring position in Wednesday's Game 2 of the National League Division Series was followed by an 0-for-9 showing in Friday's ...

[Blake Snell](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33748/blake-snell) and didn't score, instead watching [Trea Turner](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33710/trea-turner), Freeman and [Will Smith](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/38309/will-smith) strike out in order. [Robert Suarez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4148749/robert-suarez) nearly picked him off, causing Turner to jam his right ring finger against first base. The Dodgers won their last nine regular-season games against the Padres in 2021, then went 14-5 against them in 2022, scoring more than twice as many runs in the season series. The Dodgers, who will start left-hander [Tyler Anderson](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32151/tyler-anderson), must get past Musgrove and figure out a way to muster offense against a Padres bullpen that has limited their prestigious offense to nine baserunners and zero runs in 13 innings this series. "He looks like he has a large leg kick, but it's faster than you think, the times are pretty low. Turner retreated to the dugout to get taped -- postgame X-rays on his finger were negative -- then watched the Nos. "We're being hyper-aggressive early in counts and not staying on the ball," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Freeman, Smith and Muncy were due up next, but Turner, the fastest man in baseball, did not attempt the stolen base that would have put the tying run in scoring position. Now their dominant season -- of 111 wins and a plus-334 run-differential, tied for the fourth-largest in history -- is on the verge of ending at the hands of the same In the third, Betts lined out, Turner struck out and, after Freeman's walk, Smith popped out. "We're not stringing together a lot of at-bats to score runs." Their hitless streak in those situations has extended to 19 at-bats, tied for their longest rut of the season and marking their longest in a single playoff since 1981.

The San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers play in Game 4 of the NLDS.

The Dodgers have the top team on-base percentage in MLB play at .333. Trent Grisham is 10-for-29 with three home runs and five RBI over the last 10 games. The Padres lead the series 2-1 and can advance to the NLCS with a victory. Los Angeles Dodgers (111-51, first in the NL West during the regular season) vs. The teams meet Saturday for the 23rd time this season. San Diego is 89-73 overall and 44-37 in home games.

The Dodgers do little on offense and lose 2-1 to the Padres on Friday in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. They must win two in a row to ...

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SAN DIEGO — It's looking grim. The Dodgers, kings of the regular season, are one defeat away from elimination. They're slumping at the worst possible time, ...

We’re in a five-game series against a very good ballclub that we’re familiar with, and the team that plays the best baseball is going to win the series. Meanwhile, were we all seduced by that 14 of 19 regular-season dominance against the Padres? “Two weeks left in the season we were talking amongst ourselves and saying if we get into this bullpen, we have a lot of faith in these guys,” Padres outfielder Trent Grisham said. On Saturday night, they have a chance to wind up for one last haymaker. For an organization whose goal every year is to win the World Series, those are nice baubles but hollow if they don’t lead to the ultimate prize. They’re getting us on the outside part of the plate. When we do have opportunities to cash in, we’ve got to take advantage of them.” Waste, as in squandering sometimes great and sometimes gutsy pitching of their own. The Padres will send Joe Musgrove to the mound, six days after he pitched seven one-hit innings to help eliminate the New York Mets in the wild-card series. So for the Dodgers, Saturday night’s Game 4 is perilous. The Dodgers, kings of the regular season, are one defeat away from elimination. The noise, a dramatic change from the Dodger fans’ usual takeover at Petco, might have helped the Padres.

A sellout crowd at Petco Park welcomed playoff baseball back to San Diego and the fans were rewarded with a win that put the Padres one win away from the ...

In another of baseball’s endless and unique twists, the last time before Friday that the Padres hosted a playoff game with fans in attendance was on Oct. “We ended up getting in a little tussle, and I punched the kid,” Musgrove said. “They had a big say in what went on today, too,” Melvin said of the emotional lift the crowd provided. Musgrove said he and another kid stared at each other briefly before racing to retrieve the souvenir. Louis — and the San Diego leadoff hitter that day was Dave Roberts. The ultimate nightmare for Roberts, of course, would be if his team was eliminated by the Padres. The swirl of colors and noise was so chaotic that the players couldn’t even be sure what colors they saw. One of the things Manager Bob Melvin said upon taking the job last November was that he vividly recalled bringing his Oakland A’s to Petco Park midway through the 2021 season and being wholly impressed with a Tuesday night crowd of 40,000. Melvin pointed out that relievers Luis García, Robert Suarez and Hader each threw fastballs that were clocked in triple digits and “you don’t see 100 miles an hour often, especially out of three guys in a row. [fired the only no-hitter in Padres’ history](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/sports/baseball/joe-musgrove-padres-no-hitter.html), was set to start a potential clincher at home on Saturday night. Second baseman Jake Cronenworth, who lives downtown, heard more than his usual share of “Go Padres!” calls from fans as he zipped along on his scooter through the lively Gaslamp Quarter en route to the field. And if something went wrong there, a do-over awaited the Padres with Game 5 on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Dodgers (111-51, first in the NL West during the regular season) vs. San Diego Padres (89-73, second in the NL West during the regular season) ...

Trent Grisham is 10-for-29 with three home runs and five RBI over the last 10 games. The Dodgers have the top team on-base percentage in MLB play at .333. The Padres lead the series 2-1 and can advance to the NLCS with a victory. Los Angeles Dodgers (111-51, first in the NL West during the regular season) vs. The teams meet Saturday for the 23rd time this season. San Diego is 89-73 overall and 44-37 in home games.

Facing elimination, the Dodgers play their first of what Dodger fans hope is two must win games on Saturday night, taking on the Padres in Game 4 of the ...

In his Wild Card series start, Musgrove threw one of the best games of his career, completing seven innings of one hit baseball, striking out five. In the losses, the Dodgers are a combined 0-17 with runners in scoring position. With their backs against the wall, Dave Roberts hands the ball to Tyler Anderson in Game 4.

After Friday's 2-1 loss in Game 3 to the San Diego Padres that saw them go 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and leave seven men on base, the Los Dodgers ...

The right-hander pitched San Diego to the Division Series with seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the New York Mets on Sunday. They are only 4-for-35 through three games, including 1-for-10 in Game 3, but the margins in the playoffs are so small that a .114 average can make all the difference. One more loss will find the Dodgers going home much earlier than anyone expected. They scored five runs in the first three innings of Game 1, including going 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. I think that we're being hyperaggressive early in counts and not staying on the ball."

The pitching kept them in this game, but the offense looked like something you’d see at a Dodgers Adult Fantasy Camp.

—In the third inning, Trayce Thompson walks and moves to second on Austin Barnes' single. Betts lined to third, Trea Turner struck out, Freeman walked and Smith ...

To get this newsletter in your inbox, [click here](https://www.latimes.com/newsletters/sports/la-newsletter-sports-report-signup-page-htmlstory.html). [Plaschke: The unthinkable might happen. —The Game 3 “nugget o’ wisdom” from AJ Pierzynski is that the deeper a starter goes into a game, the more it protects the bullpen. Duane Mitchell of Escondido: Back in 1993, I was covering a game at Dodger Stadium with a friend acting as my photographer. You can’t fault Dodger pitching too much this series. —You also have to tip your cap to Padre pitching. Trea Turner fouled to third and Freeman grounded to third. —In the third inning, Trayce Thompson walks and moves to second on Austin Barnes’ single. —In the first inning, Mookie Betts singles and takes second on a wild pitch while Freddie Freeman is batting. After going three for eight in Game 1, the Dodgers have gone 0 for 17 (0 for eight in Game 2, 0 for nine in Game 3). That’s how you fall behind 2-1 in a series. Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout.

Until Friday night, San Diego Padres fans had never seen a home playoff victory in person since Petco Park opened in 2004.

Musgrove will be on the mound Saturday night in another big situation. Long-suffering fans made up for that gap by filling the downtown ballpark and raucously supporting a franchise that has made only seven trips to the postseason in its 54 seasons. They ended up losing the game and the World Series. Musgrove grew up in suburban El Cajon and threw the first no-hitter in Padres history in just his second start with his new team in April 2021. Manager Dave Roberts had said the Dodgers hoped to get him to 75 pitches. San Diego stranded two runners in each of the first four innings and 10 total. San Diego was then swept in the NLDS by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the Texas bubble. With Snell working 5 1/3 innings and Josh Hader finishing a scoreless performance by San Diego’s bullpen, the 111-win Dodgers were pushed to the brink of a massive disappointment. 1 trade with Milwaukee, also got the save in San Diego’s 5-3 victory Wednesday, working 1 1/3 innings. Martinez retired the side. The last two games we’re not hitting.” “There are going to be a lot of hoarse voices coming back tomorrow,” manager Bob Melvin said.

The Dodgers, who led the major leagues in batting average and on-base percentage with runners in scoring position during the regular season, have now gone ...

Last season’s Rookie of the Year runner-up will be a huge piece of the puzzle for the Cavs if they hope to return to the postseason for the first time since 2018. Murray was a standout for the Leafs in a loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, with Samsonov suiting up on Thursday against Washington. It's a steep mountain to climb, but Allen and Mahomes are in a position to supplant Brady as the passing king someday. Murray spent time in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators, but his trade to Toronto was supposed to be a fresh start for the 28-year-old. Wentz was in the news prior to the game. Fields is off to a rough start in Chicago after being one of the best passers in college football at Ohio State, where he went 20-2 from 2019-2020. The Leafs did not tender Kase a qualifying offer after last season, and he hit the market as a UFA. “Runs are at a premium in the playoffs and we need to do a better job when we get in those situations,” Austin Barnes, who had two hits on the night, said to reporters after the game. It first happened in June from the 11-14, then at the end of the season from Sept. The 1966 team scored a run in the second and third inning of Game 1 of the World Series, then proceeded to go 0-for-22 with RISP and were swept by the Baltimore Orioles. If the Dodgers want to take the series back to Los Angeles, it is clear the offense needs to turn it around. Since then, the Dodgers have scored only four runs, and they do not have a hit with RISP, including Friday night's game when they went 0-for-9.

The Dodgers bench catcher talks about the endeavors of runners in scoring position for the Boys in Blue.

The Dodgers were the best offense in the regular season and are struggling mightily to get runs. In their last 19 at-bats with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers are 0-for-19. "Runs are at a premium in the playoffs; we need to do a better job when we get in those situations and capitalize on them.

However, three games into the NLDS, the Los Angeles offense has not looked like the best offense in baseball, and now they are on the verge of elimination.

There needs to be a sense of urgency from the Dodgers' offense because if there isn't, we won't see another game until Spring Training. Overall, from top to bottom, the lineup has not come up with crucial runs throughout nine innings of baseball. They were number one in runs per game, total bases per game, and RBIs per game and had the best-run differential at +333.

Seeing Bellinger on the bench against lefty Blake Snell in Game 3 was expected, but Saturday's game comes against a righty in Joe Musgrove. Bellinger hasn't ...

He remains under team control for next season, but a Seeing Bellinger on the bench against lefty Blake Snell in Game 3 was expected, but Saturday's game comes against a righty in Joe Musgrove. [Bellinger](/fantasy/baseball/players/2165919/cody-bellinger/) remains out of the lineup for Game 4 of the NLDS against the Padres on Saturday.

Trea Turner is back in the Dodgers lineup in NLDS Game 4 after injuring his finger. Cody Bellinger is not against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove.

Cronenworth (L) Muncy (L) Bellinger is 2-for-17 (.118) with a double against Musgrove in his career. Pos This is Thompson’s fourth start of the series, during which he has only one hit but has walked three times. He has one hit in six at-bats with four strikeouts during the series.