The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres, 5-0, with key contributions from Teoscar Hernández and James Paxton, to set up the rubber match on Sunday.
Freddie Freeman put the Dodgers up early with a 1-0 solo home run in the first inning. It was just his fourth home run of the season, but the MVP first baseman has started to slug more recently.
That score remained until the sixth inning when the Padres’ bullpen faltered and loaded the bases with walks. Teoscar Hernández then continued to do what he’s done all season: drive in runs.
Hernández hit his 11th home run of the season, and first grand slam, to give the Dodgers a five-run lead. He’s now driven in 33 runs on the season, which is tops on the club and tied for second in MLB.
Both starting pitchers were sharp throughout the game, but Paxton turned in arguably his best start of the year as he threw six scoreless innings, giving up just four hits with four strikeouts. But most notably, he didn’t walk a single batter, which has been an issue for him this season.
He has now turned in back-to-back strong starts after going 6.2 innings with just one run allowed against the Atlanta Braves. He now owns a 2.58 ERA across 38.1 innings.
Max Muncy kept the shutout alive late in the game with a diving catch as he continues to show all worry about his defense should be in the rearview mirror. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently praised Muncy for the work he’s put in, and the results are showing.
James Paxton and Teoscar Hernández ‘very valuable’ for Dodgers
Adding Paxton and Hernández didn’t come with the same fanfare as the other moves the Dodgers made. But both have been key contributors, which hasn’t come as a surprise to Roberts or the organization.
“I think for me, it was two guys that really wanted to be here. I think Teoscar left money on the table to be a Dodger, and James did the same thing. So when you have players like that, that are accomplished, it shows they want to be here and they’ve already bought in,” Roberts said.
“I think for some people, they’re sneaky moves. But people in the baseball industry really understand the value of those two players. I just value those guys so much. You know what you’re going to get from both guys. Dependable players and very valuable.”
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