Due to the new scheduling, today was somehow the first time the Dodgers and Padres met, and things started with a messy back-and-forth game early on that turned into a tight affair late. Eventually it went to extras where the Dodgers put up a pair and the bullpen completed their five innings without allowing an earned run in an 8-7 win to kick the series off.
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Things started off ideally against Padres starter Nick Pivetta in the 1st, as Shohei Ohtani doubled and Freddie Freeman traded places with him thanks to a double of his own for an early lead. After Manny Machado speared a Teoscar Hernandez screamer, he threw in the dirt and everybody advanced to corner the runners. From there, the Sac Fly Man did his thing and Will Smith made it 2-0.
Bring ’em in, Freddie and Will! pic.twitter.com/3f4Krnkun6
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 10, 2025
Unfortunately, Dustin May just didn’t have it today at all, and he threw batting practice on the other side of the 1st. A pair of singles, a Manny Machado double for a run, and a Jackson Merrill lined sac fly started the game and tied things at 2-2. Quite frankly, it felt lucky that it wasn’t worse.
After a clean frame for Pivetta, the 2nd was a mess for May. A lead-off walk was advanced to third on a pair of outs, but May also walked Fernando Tatis Jr., which came back to haunt him when Tatis stole second and the throw got away, helping a run score on a Will Smith error to make it 3-2 Padres.
The Dodgers did come right back in the 3rd, as back-to-back singles from Mookie Betts and Freddie cornered the runners, and a passed ball advanced Freddie to second. Teoscar Hernandez then barely missed a homer on a ball hit to the wall in center for a sac fly, and Will Smith thankfully made that near-miss not matter by hitting the next pitch out for his sixth dong of the year to make it 5-3 Dodgers.
VOTE FOR WILL!
?: https://t.co/SSqaZ7aq1V pic.twitter.com/d7TLSQExLU
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 10, 2025
The back-and-forth mess continued in the bottom of that inning against May, as a single and two walks saw the bases loaded with just one down. May looked like he got out of trouble with a foul out and a fliner to right, but Teoscar Hernandez kinda butchered it out there for a three-run triple to give the Padres a 6-5 lead.
Amusingly, May settled down from there, completing his outing with two scoreless innings.
It was bad, but felt like it could’ve been worse even factoring the defensive lapses: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 1 K, 89 Pitches.
Well, a good reminder that May has been pitching like a quality #5 this year, which is exactly what they seemed to need out of him, but he’s been pushed up to #2 cause of the others being useless.
— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) June 9, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Meanwhile, Pivetta had stranded RISP to end innings in the 1st, 3rd, and did so again in the 4th, his last inning of work.
He handed things over to the pen in the 5th, and they also ended that inning by stranding a RISP. However, the Dodgers first tied the game behind a Max Muncy lead-off single and a two-out double from Hyeseong Kim that made him 3-for-3 against lefties and tied the game at 6-6.
No. 6 ties it at 6! pic.twitter.com/2rxIlRAXBY
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 10, 2025
On the other side, the Padres pen was cruising, as they retired nine batters in a row and looked like they were going to make it 10 on a Shohei Ohtani comebacker, but Adrian Morejon threw wide to put him in scoring position. After an intentional walk to Mookie Betts, Freddie struck out to end that threat. Things were back to normal in the 9th, as the Dodgers went down in order.
With May off the hook, it was the Dodgers pen in the 6th, starting with Anthony Banda. All he did was go six up and six down, as he quietly has put up four scoreless outings in a row. Alex Vesia was next up in the 8th, and he made it nine in a row.
Trends you like to see from Alex Vesia.
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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) June 9, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Kirby Yates then entered for the 9th and extended the streak to 11, but then pitched Tatis very carefully in walking him on six pitches before getting out of the frame.
BONUS BASEBALL
Things started as well as possible behind an Andy Pages double to left to plate a run, and a Tommy Edman single that hit the bag to score another.
ANDY AND TOMMY CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/FoJOUjrxK2
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 10, 2025
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to add more on, which made things still dicey.
Tanner Scott entered to lock down the game, and while he started with a strikeout, a double followed to make it a one-run game. Thankfully, he followed with an infield pop and a flyout to secure the W.
People complain about umpires, but this is a pretty bonkers call to get right in a huge spot:
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— Chris Towers is a small sample size All-Star (@cptowers.bsky.social) June 9, 2025 at 6:52 PM
The jumpscare is crazy. pic.twitter.com/2VepZHPDMH
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) June 10, 2025
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The NL West matchup continues tomorrow at the same time of 3:40 PM HT/6:40 PM PT/9:40 PM ET, and it’ll be a somewhat brutal matchups of a pen game for the Dodgers against Dylan Cease.
