Dodgers Stay Alive, Force Winner-Take-All Game 5 on Friday
Mookie Betts gets showered with sunflower seeds after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of Game 4 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Wednesday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The postseason hasn’t been pretty for the Dodgers since 2020’s World Series win. On the brink of elimination in Game 4, best of five, of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers took command in San Diego to fight another day.
Los Angeles, thanks to the bullpen and a revitalized offense, completed the franchise’s largest postseason shutout with an 8–0 against the Padres to tie the NLDS series at 2–2 for a winner-take-all all Game 5.
Eight pitchers from the bullpen took the mound throughout all nine innings to keep a hot San Deigo team scoreless — earning eight strikeouts in that span. The bullpen allowed seven hits but came clutch when it mattered most to keep San Diego blanked with runners in scoring position.
The Dodgers scored five runs within the first three innings.
After a disastrous second inning in Game 3, allowing six runs from San Diego, Los Angeles needed an early spark against a red-hot Padres offense. Right fielder Mookie Betts got things started with his second straight game, hitting a solo home run in the first inning.
“We have a bunch of grinders and a bunch of fighters,” said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts. “We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing’s easy. And so you just gotta take whatever cards you’re dealt and play them. And that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Betts has turned his hitting slump around, which saw him go 0-for-22 across two postseasons. His confidence and consistency at the plate are vital to Los Angeles’ playoff hopes, with first baseman Freddie Freemen in and out of the lineup with a nasty ankle injury.
With runners in the corners, Shohei Ohtani would add the Dodgers next run in the second inning with an RBI single past Padres first baseman Luis Arraez. Betts would bring in the next run on the next at-bat with a single in the gap between first and second to make it 3–0 at the end of two.
The Dodgers would continue to add insurance runs throughout with a two-run home run from catcher Will Smith — his first hit in the postseason– in the third inning and a three-run inning from the L.A. in the seventh thanks to an RBI bunt from Tommy Edman and a two-run homer from Gavin Lux that left in a hurry to right field.
“I’m proud,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “When you get into the postseason, it’s a street fight. It’s about people, players, and your desire has got to be more than your opponent. And for me to see our guys go through what they’ve been through and respond the way they have really makes me excited about Game 5.”
Los Angeles had two runs erased, one in the top of the fourth and another in the bottom of the fifth. In the fifth, Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Max Muncy of a potential home run. Earlier, in the fourth, third base umpire Mark Ripperger inadvertently deflected a ball hit down the line, which would have been a sure run. The deflection allowed San Diego third baseman Manny Machado to throw out Shohei Ohtani at home.
After the interference, Ohtani was seen visibly upset and yelled toward the third base umpire.
Relievers Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen and Landon Knack would complete the bullpen game in the final three innings, each earning one strikeout to keep the series alive.
Game 5, win or go home, is slated for Friday, Oct. 11, at 5:08 p.m. at Chavez Ravine. The Padres will have SP Yu Darvish on the mound, and the Dodgers have yet to decide who will start. However, after Game 4's win, Roberts mentioned it would be a toss-up.
“We’ve got some options. I think we can run the same playbook back and run a bullpen game. We can start Jack, we can start Yoshinobu. Right now, there is no game 5 starter,” Roberts said.
