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“Padres Playoff Game—A Horror Novel”

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The book had many chapters.

It just didn’t turn out well.

Talking about the Padres opening playoff game loss to the much-hated Dodgers.

You cannot give a first place team that many opportunities and come away with a win.  Not when you are playing a team that came into the game (49-13) and having won 12-of their last 14-outings.

The Padres gambled that pitcher Mike Clevinger was ready after having all that treatment for  and rehab since September 23rd.  He lasted 1-inning and saw his velocity drop from 97mph to 91 mph as the first inning turned to the second inning..  Hopefully there is not more damage in that right elbow.

Manager Jayce Tingler got tossed for arguing balls and strikes in the 6th inning, beefing louder than Dodgers pitcher Walker Beuhler  did, who had similar complaints about struggling thru 53-pitches in the first two innings, because he was getting squeezed on pitches.

You cannot issue 10-walks in 6-innings without it coming back to haunt you, even while holding the Dodges to no hits into the 6th inning before the roof fell in on the bullpen.

The opening game became a bullpen game way too early, and all that caught up with an overused Padres pen.  Tingler had gone to the bullpen 23-times in the 3-game series with the Cardinals.

Tuesday night, they used up 8-relievers after Clevinger had to be pulled.

Sure, rookie Ryan Weathers was dazzling in his first major league appearance, but that glow was diminished as the rest of the bullpen got beat up.

The Padres stole 3-bases early, but didn’t cash in on a bases loaded situation when they had Beuhler on the ropes.  He struck out two to get out of a big jam

Jake Cronenworth has made a ton of plays all season, but he didn’t make one with an errant throw to first that opened up the gates for the Dodgers rally, that resulted in a tie game becoming a 4-run rally with two outs.

There were few sightings of big things from Fernando Tatis-Manny Machado either.

The Dodgers, with the 180-M regular season payroll, nickeled and dimed their way to the win.  They didn’t need home runs, because with all the walks, they went station to station and grinded their way to runs.

And the LA bullpen, 5-innings with 1-baserunner allowed.

So next up is Clayton Kershaw, who has owned the Padres.  Who San Diego starts, likely Chris Paddack, and how long he lasts, will be the key.

They’ve met 11-times now, and the Blue have beaten the Brown 7-times.

It only was one game in a best of five series, but the body bag losses took a toll physically and maybe emotionally..

Wednesday is a new day, and must be better than what we saw Tuesday night.

It was a horror novel to say the least.  A (5-1) loss.

Dodgers win-Padres loss.

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