The San Diego Padres suffered a brutal loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, losing in extra innings against their National League West division rivals.
The environment at Petco Park was electric for the series opener, and the baseball matched the energy, with 12 total runs coming in the first half of the game. It was deadlocked at 6-6 until the 10th inning, when the Dodgers drove in two runs.
Young star Jackson Merrill then drove in a run to cut the score down to 8-7 and moved into second base, but the Padres failed to get him home and ended up with the loss.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith, after the game, issued a statement with a subliminal message aimed at the Padres.
Prior to the game, much was made about the rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres, though Smith did not feel any extra intensity on Monday compared to any other regular season game.
“It felt like another game in June," Smith told reporters after the game.
Smith went 1-for-4 in Monday's series opener, hitting a two-run homer and also notching a sacrifice fly as well.
Despite how Smith may feel about the regular season series, the Padres felt as if the team showed their ability to hang in with the reigning World Series champion and believe they are on the same level as their NL West counterpart.
Padres manager Mike Shildt projected the feeling of optimism after the game, believing the Padres will get more chances to come out on top of close games.
“They punched, we punched,” Shildt said. “I mean, it’s the typical game we play against them. And many more to come. … They executed and got the one more hit in the 10th.”
San Diego will host the second game of three on Tuesday, likely featuring more fireworks from both teams.
For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.
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