Dodgers fall to Padres on 10th-inning sacrifice fly as San Diego does ‘beat L.A.’
The first time the chant rained down at Petco Park on Saturday night, the Dodgers quieted the crowd.
“Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” screamed San Diego Padres fans in the top of the eighth inning, their team protecting a two-run lead with runners on the corners, their closer on the mound attempting to secure a five-out save.
Then Trea Turner came to the plate and laced a game-tying double to left field, the ball just getting over the head of Jurickson Profar before bouncing off the wall.
When the chant returned in the bottom of the ninth, the screams of “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” showering CJ Abrams with a runner on first and two outs, the Padres came up empty again, Abrams whiffing on a 2-and-2 slider from reliever Daniel Hudson to send the game to extras.
But then in the bottom of the 10th, the brown-and-yellow sections of a largely split crowd of 44,444 began the chant again, spurred on by a video board graphic and accompanying drum beat over the stadium speakers.
This time, the Padres delivered. Pinch-hitter Trent Grisham bunted Abrams — who started the inning at second base as the automatic runner — to third. Austin Nola brought him home with a walk-off sacrifice fly to left.
The Padres beat the Dodgers 3-2.
And more “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” chants carried on into a crisp San Diego night.
The Dodgers had ample opportunities to change the outcome of Saturday’s game.
Early on, they had Yu Darvish on the ropes. After stranding a walk in the first, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the second. Mookie Betts came to the plate with the chance to produce a big inning. But on what was already Darvish’s 51st pitch of the night, Betts struck out to retire the side.
After that, the Dodgers’ bats went quiet, failing to produce a baserunner for the next five innings. Darvish got his pitch count under control too, completing six scoreless innings in which he gave up only one hit.
The Dodgers’ starter, Tyler Anderson pitched decently in his first start of the year, taking the place of the injured Andrew Heaney in the rotation.
In 4⅔ innings, the left-hander gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Wil Myers hit a sacrifice fly against him in the second. Then Jake Cronenworth sent a solo home run to right in the third.
Still, Anderson and a parade of relievers kept the game close. And in the eighth, the Dodgers’ offense finally came through.
After Chris Taylor reached on an infield single — ending a streak of 16 batters retired in a row — Gavin Lux lined a base hit to center. Betts and Freddie Freeman struck out in the next two at-bats, giving the Padres faithful hope their lead would remain intact. But then Turner got ahold of a 1-and-1 slider from San Diego closer Taylor Rogers, tying the game at 2 before being stranded at second by Max Muncy’s strikeout.
The Dodgers’ bullpen kept the score knotted, with Brusdar Graterol tossing a clean eighth inning and Hudson fanning Abrams in the ninth.
In the top of the 10th, however, the Dodgers made a mistake on the bases. Taylor, who began the inning at second after hitting into an inning-ending double-play in the ninth, tried to tag and go to third on a fly ball to left field from Lux.
Profar made a perfect throw to third baseman Manny Machado, who applied the tag for a double play. Betts struck out to end the inning.
Justin Bruihl took the mound in the 10th but couldn’t extend the game. Grisham’s bunt was placed perfectly in front of the mound, enabling Abrams to reach third with ease. Then Nola sent a 2-and-0 cutter plenty deep to Taylor in left, allowing Abrams to come sliding across home plate without a play.
It ended the Padres’ 10-game losing streak to the Dodgers, which stretched back to last season, and gave their fans one more chance to chant on their way out of the ballpark.
“Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!”
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