Dave Roberts Credits Padres Pitching In Series Win Over Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored a combined six runs in three games against the San Diego Padres this weekend, resulting in their first series loss in nearly a month.

The Dodgers were held to one run in Friday’s opener before scoring five the following game. All five runs came on two swings by Freddie Freddie and Tesocar Hernández, who each homered in the win.

Then on Sunday, L.A.’s bats were stifled by Yu Darvish as they did not get on the scoreboard at all, falling 4-0 in the series finale.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited the Padres’ pitching staff for keeping the offense guessing throughout the three-game set, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:

“They’ve been really unpredictable,” manager Dave Roberts said after his team was shut out for only the second time this season. “Part of it is attacking some of our hitters’ weaknesses, going to their strengths. But I really think that they’ve just mixed and matched well. They’ve executed.”

Roberts specifically praised Darvish, who threw seven scoreless innings and did not allow his first baserunner until two outs in the fifth:

“We just couldn’t get anything going,” Roberts conceded. “He was in rhythm. He was locked in.”

The Padres have now won five of eight head-to-head meetings and are one of only two teams with a winning record against the Dodgers this season:

“Obviously, they get up to play us,” Roberts said. “And they’ve pitched us well.”

While the Dodgers own the second-best record in the National League, they have struggled against the Padres so far. They split the two-game matchup in South Korea and have since dropped four of six to San Diego.

The Dodgers and Padres are scheduled to play each other five more times in the regular season, with their next matchup coming on July 30-31 at Petco Park. L.A. and San Diego will then play three final games at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 24-26.

Dodgers & Padres fans set Petco Park attendance record

The middle game between the Dodgers and Padres on Saturday drew an announced attendance of 46,701, which set a new record at Petco Park. That surpassed the previous mark of 45,567 set on Opening Day in 2014 when San Diego hosted L.A.