Pa Rowan Kauner
Posted by FOX Sports MLB
LOS ANGELES – By then, the second baseman Gavin Lux doubled down the right-field line in the third inning Tuesday, knocking Padres the starter Mike Clevinger with National League Division 1 gameit felt like everything was over.
And when the Padres bounced back, showing the resilience of a team that has already overcome adversity once this postseason, Smart people“middle incident players answered the call again.
Shortstop Trea Turner homered and doubled in his first two at-bats, Lux had a knockout hit at the plate, and the duo combined to end the Padres’ best chance to tie the game or take the lead when they turned a remarkable double play that ended with an inning-tying run at base in the sixth inning a A 5-3 Dodgers win.
The defensive gem on the scorching ground lined up at 100.1 mph Will MyersThe at-bat was knifed by Lux, who turned to Turner to complete the double play. It is typically cool on the mound Evan Phillips clenched his fist and shouted. From the dugout, the starter Julio Urias did the same before slamming his hands on the railings of the dugout.
It was a monumental game as the Padres pulled off a surprise comeback after Urias went four scoreless innings.
Trea Turner reflects on the Dodgers’ Game 1 win
Trea Turner reflects on the Dodgers’ win over the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS in a postgame interview with Tom Verducci.
It all looked more like the Dodgers, who have long had the Padres’ number. In 2020, the Padres made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years before the Dodgers eliminated them in a three-game NLDS. Last year, the Dodgers were 12-7 against San Diego, who missed the postseason. The Dodgers outscored the Padres by 62 runs in 19 games this year, compiling a 14-5 record against them in the process.
In the first inning Tuesday, Turner immediately proceeded to do what the Dodgers have done all year to Clevinger. Clevinger was 0-2 with a 9.69 ERA in three starts against the playoff-bound Dodgers.
After Mookie Betts grounded, Turner blasted a 419-foot home run into the left-field pavilion. The Dodgers shortstop didn’t feel good at the plate late in the year, taking extra batting practice to find his feel again. Then something seemed to click in the final game of the regular season when Turner mashed a three-run homer against Rocky mountains.
Despite a five-day layoff for the division-winning Dodgers, Turner seemed to carry that momentum into Game 1. After registering just two extra-base hits in 12 postseason games last season for the Dodgers, he mashed an extra base in each of his first two hits against the Padres.
The Dodgers led 5-0 after three innings, with two extra-base hits each from Turner and Will Smith. Lux’s punch dealt the final damage to Clevinger.
Trea Turner hit a solo home run to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead
Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner launches a solo home run off Mike Clevinger to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead over the San Diego Padres.
The five runs would come despite a late Padres charge against Urias. San Diego’s first three batters reached base to start the fifth inning, and all three scored. Through pitching, manager Dave Roberts used his best high-leverage weapon in Phillips to counter the core of the Padres’ order.
Juan Soto walked to start the pitch. Manny Machado then with a dribbler. Phillips got a crucial strikeout as a pinch hitter Josh Bell before inducing a double play by Myers.
It was the last real threat for the Dodgers, whose work offensively and defensively played a major role in their 1-0 start in the playoffs.
Rowan Kauner covers the Dodgers and the NL West for FOX Sports. He previously served as the Dodgers’ digital and print editor. Follow him on Twitter at @RavanKauner.
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