The last Dodgers-Padres series was the biggest of the year, and now this one overtakes it. The series started off with a well-played, low-scoring affair thanks mainly to Yu Darvish and Blake Snell dueling. Unfortunately, it was Snell who gave up one more run, and that was all the Padres needed, as the Dodgers weren’t able to get anything going in the 2-1 loss.
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After Yu Darvish had a disaster of a first inning last time out, he ended that game by shutting down the Dodgers quite well. Unfortunately, that mostly continued today, as he set down the first seven batters he faced. Fortunately, Alex Freeland picked a hell of a time for his first career homer, ripping a hanger to right for a 1-0 lead.
Alex Freeland with his first MLB homer! pic.twitter.com/VWugtyuBtw
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 23, 2025
Darvish followed by immediately hitting Buddy Kennedy with a pitch, and Shohei Ohtani squared a ball at 115 MPH but did so right at Fernando Tatis Jr. in right. And so they didn’t get anything else in the 3rd, nor was anything generated in the 4th.
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For the Dodgers, they turned to Blake Snell again, and things looked good early on. A clean 1st was followed by a bloop single to leadoff the 2nd that Michael Conforto really should’ve caught, but that was erased by a double play and he faced the minimum.
Another single started the 3rd, and he was sacrificed over on what looked like an attempt for a hit. A strikeout put Snell on the verge, and it looked like he did with strikeout of Tatis, but it was ruled he didn’t go around. No matter, as Ramon Laureano was caught wandering off second for whatever reason, and Will Smith threw him out at third to end the frame.
Tatis supposedly checked his swing, but apparently Ramon didn’t agree, so he got caught in no man’s land. pic.twitter.com/UE7Sz0cGcb
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 23, 2025
In the 4th, for the third consecutive inning, the lead-off man reached, this time with a walk. A sac bunt followed, and Manny Machado took advantage by fisting a single to tie things up at 1-1.
Another single followed to corner the runners, and Xander Bogaerts hit a sac fly for the second out to give the Padres a 2-1 lead.
Despite an infield roller for a single against the shift that put a runner in scoring position again, Snell managed to stop the bleeding there.
But he again found trouble to start the 5th, as a single made it four consecutive innings with the lead-off man reaching. Another sac bunt followed, and a walk put a pair on, but Snell induced a double play to escape that jam.
In the 6th, Snell posted his first 1-2-3 frame since the 1st thanks to this gem from Mookie Betts at short.
What a play ranging into the hole from Mookie. pic.twitter.com/k16Xkt3KJ0
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 23, 2025
With his pitch count still manageable, he came out for the 7th as well, and completed another quality outing with a pair of strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning.
He had some moments where he was erratic, but even the runs were just unfortunate sequencing: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 97 Pitches.
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Now pitching with the lead, Darvish made it eight in a row retired with a clean 5th, then nine in a row to start the 6th before issuing a walk to Ohtani. No matter, as he got Mookie Betts to bounce into a double play next to face the minimum in that frame.
That was the end of Darvish’s near flawless start, and he handed things off to Jason Adam in the 7th, who got a nice and easy 1-2-3 frame. And so it was Mason Miller in the 8th, and he didn’t have his command at all. He started by walking Michael Conforto on six pitches, then got behind Andy Pages 2-0, at which point Pages swung at a borderline pitch at the bottom of the zone and just missed it by lining out to center.
No like if Miller throws a center-cut fastball there, they likely lead, but man, could be bases loaded very easily here. https://t.co/EBn8TExqGW
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 23, 2025
That likely cost them a baserunner, as after pinch-runner Justin Dean stole second, Miller continued to struggle throwing strikes, walking Alex Freeland on five pitches. Dalton Rushing then pinch-hit looking to just not ground into a double play to get Shohei a shot … so guess what he did? Yup.
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Looking to keep the deficit at one was Edgardo Henriquez in the 8th taking over for Snell, and he got the first two batters of the frame. However, a double followed and he uncorked a wild pitch to advance the runner. Thankfully, another defensive gem from Mookie on a potential single saved a run and kept it 2-1.
Mookie makes another amazing play in right field to keep the deficit at one. https://t.co/52FghzIGcf pic.twitter.com/4p3QWg1lbN
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 23, 2025
Closing things out for the Padres in the 9th was Robert Suarez, who started by giving up a 388-foot flyball to center from Ohtani. Sigh.
The rally didn’t end there, as Mookie singled next, and after a strikeout to put Suarez on the verge, it was Freddie Freeman singling to corner the runners. That brought up Teoscar Hernandez, who stuck out on six pitches.
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The series resumes tomorrow on FS1 an hour earlier at 2:40 PM HT/5:40 PM PT/8:40 PM ET. It’ll be Tyler Glasnow also making his second start in a row against the Padres, and he’ll be facing 2024 World Series Game 1 hero Nestor Cortes.
