Dodgers lose to Padres in two-hit flop, falling

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres’ bullpen is taken into account one of the best in baseball. Their lineup, revamped by a couple of key commerce deadline acquisitions, at least rivals the not too long ago inconsistent model the Dodgers have gotten out of theirs.

But this weekend, with first place on the road in the groups’ closing assembly this season, the Dodgers had been supposed to have one distinct benefit.

Their beginning rotation was healthy, contemporary and lined up to throw three of its best arms at Petco Park.

The Padres, on the other hand, had been banged up and beginning three veterans with a collective earned-run average north of 5.00.

Yeah … so a lot for all that.

For the second straight night time on Saturday, in San Diego’s 5-1 win, a Padres starter unexpectedly dominated the Dodgers, while a Dodgers starter disappointingly stumbled in the fourth inning. This time, it was Nestor Cortes who was in cruise control, spinning six scoreless innings while retiring his first 16 batters. On the other facet, it was Tyler Glasnow who ran into hassle, yielding three runs in the fourth to go away the Dodgers for useless.

Just like that, what was a two-game division lead for the Dodgers (73-57) at the start of this week, coming off their sweep of the Padres in Los Angeles last weekend, is a one-game benefit for San Diego in the National League West standings, with the Padres (74-56) primed to sweep the Dodgers proper back.

An evening after managing just one run and one hit off Yu Darvish (after he entered the sport with an ERA close to 6.00), the Dodgers appeared even more overmatched by the left-handed Cortes — who was out for redemption after giving up Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in the World Series while taking part in for the New York Yankees last season.

Since that fateful October night time, Cortes has switched groups twice. In the offseason, he was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he made two early begins before struggling an elbow injury. At the deadline, he was one of seven gamers the Padres acquired to bolster their roster for the stretch run.

Cortes had supplied minimal help in his first three Padres outings, giving up seven runs in 15 innings while averaging barely 90 mph with his fastball.

But on Saturday, he discovered a rhythm with his trademark cutter, throwing it more than any other pitch while recording at least one out with it in all six innings he pitched.

The Dodgers hardly threatened in the first, with Shohei Ohtani main off with a strikeout and Mookie Betts rolling over a center-cut cutter to third base. In the second, Cortes received his rematch with Freeman; throwing a down-and-in fastball all so related to the one that landed in the right-field pavilion of Dodger Stadium last 12 months — only to flip and watch another deep drive die at the warning observe, this time to straightaway heart subject at Petco Park.

From there, the outs saved coming.

In the sixth inning, Miguel Rojas finally broke up the no-no, adjusting to yet another cutter for a line-drive single to proper.

But by then, Glasnow had already dug a gap too deep for the Dodgers’ slumping lineup to climb out of.

After retiring his first six batters, Glasnow began dropping his command in the third. He issued a leadoff stroll to Ramón Laureano, another to Fernando Tatis Jr., and only escaped the jam after a 10-pitch at-bat against Luis Arraez ended in a grounder.

In the fourth, the Padres wouldn’t come away empty-handed again.

Walks to Manny Machado (on 4 pitches to lead off the inning) and Xander Bogaerts (on a string of fastballs that missed the zone) had been sandwiched around a single from Ryan O’Hearn. Then, with the bases loaded, Laureano lined a two-run single to proper. Jake Cronenworth tacked on a sacrifice fly. And just like on Friday, the Dodgers stared down the deficit — and discovered no method to erase it.

Cortes stranded Rojas, with the inning ending on a flyout from Ohtani. After that, the Padres’ talent-rich bullpen saved issues at an arm’s size, with a pinch-hit home run from Alex Freeland (his second in as many nights) representing the Dodgers’ only scoring for a second night time in a row.

Dodgers beginning pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers against the Padres in the fifth inning Saturday.

(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

To do some fast math so far this weekend…

The Padres’ two starters have mixed for 12 innings, one run and two hits in contrast to the 11 innings and 5 runs the Dodgers’ rotation has allowed.

The Dodgers have totaled 5 hits, three walks and 15 strikeouts. The Padres have 10 hits, eight walks and only 10 punchouts against Dodger pitching.

And, most critically, the Padres have two wins — placing them back alone in first place by one recreation, and on the verge of a sweep that (at least based on the pitching matchups) few would have seen coming.