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Final: Dodgers hold off Padres to win 5-2
SAN DIEGO — In a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers got eight scoreless innings from their bullpen.
Four from Andrew Heaney, who was sharp in his first bulk relief outing of the season.
And four more from their other relievers, who got contributions from Craig Kimbrel, Caleb Ferguson, Chris Martin, Alex Vesia and David Price.
At the plate, Miguel Vargas shined with three RBIs, including a tie-breaking two-run single in the sixth. Will Smith (solo home run) and Freddie Freeman (RBI single) also knocked runs in.
The Dodgers are now 108-48.
Final: Dodgers 5, Padres 2
Caleb Ferguson, Chris Martin get Dodgers out of jam in seventh, then Will Smith homers in eighth
After four scoreless innings of bulk relief from Andrew Heaney, as well as a zero in the sixth from demoted closer Craig Kimbrel, the Dodgers needed two relievers to get through a seventh-inning jam.
With two on and one out, left-hander Caleb Ferguson struck out Juan Soto with a full-count fastball.
In the next at-bat, Dave Roberts brought right-hander Chris Martin out of the bullpen to face Manny Machado, he fanned the Padres MVP candidate on three pitches.
A half-inning later, Will Smith stretched the Dodgers lead by whacking his 24th home run of the year out to left.
Top 8th: Dodgers lead 5-2
Dodgers big three gets game tied with sixth-inning rally, then Miguel Vargas puts them in front
After being kept quiet for four innings by Sean Manaea, the Dodgers finally broke through and tied the game against reliever Pierce Johnson in the sixth.
The Dodgers big three at the top of the lineup fueled the rally. Mookie Betts hit a leadoff double. Trea Turner raced to first on a ground ball for an infield single. Then Freddie Freeman dropped a flare into shallow left field for a game-tying single.
The inning was far from over.
After Max Muncy walked to load the bases, rookie Miguel Vargas came up with two outs.
He got into a 1-and-2 hole, but then fouled off a fastball, laid off one curveball, then lined another one back up the middle for a two-run single, giving the Dodgers their first lead.
Top 6th: Dodgers lead 4-2
Andrew Heaney racking up more strikeouts, but Dodgers still trail
Through three innings of bulk relief, Andrew Heaney already has six strikeouts, raising his season total to 103 in less than 70 innings.
He needed three in the second inning to escape a bases-loaded jam, then punched out the side in order with three more in the third.
The Dodgers offense, however, has been unable to add any more support against Padres bulk pitcher Sean Manaea.
Mid 5th: Padres lead 2-1
Dodgers sloppy defense allows Padres to open scoring
With two on and two outs in the first inning, opener Brusdar Graterol got a ground ball from Brandon Drury that should have ended the inning.
Instead, the bouncer somehow got past both shortstop Trea Turner, and second baseman Chris Taylor, who converged up the middle but both failed to make the play.
While the play was ruled a single, allowing both Padres baserunners to score, it was the latest stumble from a Dodgers defense that hasn’t looked very sharp of late, entering Thursday’s game with 14 errors in its previous 12 games (they’d committed only 67 in 143 games prior).
The Dodgers did get a run back in the second inning on a Miguel Vargas sacrifice fly, but still trail.
Mid 2nd: Padres lead 2-1
Trayce Thompson scratched for personal reason; Andrew Heaney to follow Brusdar Graterol
SAN DIEGO — Trayce Thompson was a late scratch from the Dodgers lineup because of a personal matter, manager Dave Roberts said.
Thompson won’t be at Thursday night’s game, but Roberts said he expects Thompson to rejoin the team when they open their final regular season home stand on Friday.
In Thompson’s place, Miguel Vargas was inserted into the lineup, playing left field and batting seventh.
On the mound, right-hander Brusdar Graterol will open for the Dodgers, with left-hander Andrew Heaney set to follow him as a bulk reliever.
With the Dodgers postseason rotation seemingly set to include Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Anderson and Tony Gonsolin, Heaney will likely be the odd man out, placing him on track to pitch out of the bullpen in October.
To that end, Roberts said Thursday’s game could serve as a dry run for Heaney to practice entering the game as a reliever.
“Andrew has been a starter his entire career, so to give him a little opportunity to come out of the ‘pen and see what that’s like, feel what that’s like just made a lot of sense,” Roberts said.
The Padres are countering with a bullpen game that will begin with right-hander Steven Wilson on the mound.
Here is the Dodgers’ lineup:
‘It’s the right time.’ Dodgers legend Jaime Jarrín ready to sign off with gratitude
Last week, before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers honored employees who have worked for the organization for at least 25 years.
The men and women stood along the first- and third-base lines. There were ushers, ticket-takers, receptionists, a press room operator and a gardener, among others. Players-turned-broadcasters Rick Monday and Fernando Valenzuela were recognized.
Each person was acknowledged in ascending order, based on their years of service, starting with 25. The penultimate employee presented was an usher in his 52nd year working at Dodger Stadium. Several feet away, standing at home plate, was Jaime Jarrín, the franchise’s most senior employee by 12 years.
The cheers amplified when Jarrín, a Spanish-language radio voice for the Dodgers since 1959, was announced. He waved to the crowd, absorbing another applause as his 64-year career approaches the finish line. Jarrín is retiring at the end of this season — whenever the Dodgers’ playoff run ends — as a broadcaster but will continue to represent the organization as a community ambassador. He carries six-plus decades of memories, spanning from Sandy Koufax to Clayton Kershaw, and no regrets.
Dodgers beat Padres in extra innings to set franchise record for wins in a season
SAN DIEGO — The 2022 Dodgers etched their place into club history Wednesday night by recording a franchise-record 107th victory.
And, fittingly, they had perhaps their most important player — and certainly pitcher — on the mound to do it.
In a season that has been beset by injuries and near constant transition to the Dodgers pitching, Julio Urías continued to be the staff’s anchor, its ace, spinning six scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 1-0 win over the San Diego Padres to cement his place atop the team’s rotation as the playoffs near.
Though Freddie Freeman’s RBI single in the top of the 10th and Tommy Kahnle’s save in the bottom half secured the Dodgers record-setting win, it was Urías’ performance that boded best for their prospects in the postseason.
How to watch and stream the Dodgers
Here’s a look at the Dodgers broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the regular season: