Padres late game error cost them against rival Dodgers
· Yahoo Sports
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres (29-19) missed an opportunity to increase their lead in the NL West over the Los Angeles Dodgers (30-19), but instead handed them control of the division after a 5-4 loss.
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It was a tight game that came down to an error from one of the biggest pieces the Padres have in the ninth inning.
“Two good games, two one-run games,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “They're pitching their best guys, we're pitching our best guys. They got their best lineup out there, we got our best lineup out there.”
Tuesday night’s game got off to a fast start. In the top of the first inning, the Dodgers surpassed their total runs from the previous night with one swing of the bat.
Shohei Ohtani started things off with a double to left field and moved into scoring position after Mookie Betts grounded out to third base. Freddie Freeman followed by launching a 356-foot, two-run home run to left field that gave LA a 2-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for San Diego to respond.
After Gavin Sheets drew a walk from Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan, Manny Machado tied the game at 2-2 with a home run to center field.
“What we've been kind of waiting on a little bit, and he finally tagged one,” Stammen said. “He's been coming up with big hits, hasn't gotten a ton of hits. He wishes he would have more, but he's had some big ones when he's got them.”
In the bottom of the third, the Padres went back to work when Fernando Tatis Jr. beat out a throw to first base after the call was overturned. That set the stage for Miguel Andújar to continue his hot stretch with a two-run home run that gave San Diego a 4-2 lead. It was Andújar’s second home run of the series.
“He’s been huge, man,” Machado said. “He's been obviously one of our hottest hitters, carrying us offensively."
May 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar (41) tosses his bat after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park.Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
May 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar (41) tosses his bat after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park.
There was a moment in the bottom of the fourth inning the Padres may look back on negatively. Jackson Merrill singled before Ty France drove a ball to center field. Merrill turned on the jets and crossed home plate, but the play was ruled a ground-rule double, sending Merrill back to third and France to second. Catcher Freddy Fermin later grounded out to second base, leaving two runners stranded in scoring position.
The Dodgers got one run back in the fifth inning when Teoscar Hernández hit a ball Machado thought he could field cleanly for an out at first, but it bounced off the third-base bag and popped into the air for a double. Ohtani later brought Hernández home with a ground out to cut the Padres’ lead to 4-3.
In the top of the sixth inning, Jeremiah Estrada replaced Canning and immediately surrendered another Freeman home run, this one a 399-foot shot to right field. It was Freeman’s second homer of the night and his first multi-home run game since Sept. 25 of last season. The blast tied the game at 4-4 and marked the sixth home run Estrada has allowed to the Dodgers in his career.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, San Diego had another opportunity to regain the lead with Tatis Jr. and Andújar on first and second base. Stammen opted to pinch-hit Ramón Laureano for Sheets, and Laureano drove a deep fly ball to left field that Hernández tracked down for the third out. Laureano threw his helmet in frustration after the inning ended.
“Laureano is historically a pretty good hitter against left-handed pitching,” Stammen said. “Felt good about that. Sheets is National League Player of the Week this week, one of our hottest hitters. Very tough decision on my end to do that. I went with Laureano and figured that was a chance for us to put a run on the board and then finish it with our bullpen, and just didn't quite work out that way.”
The Padres found themselves in trouble again in the top of the eighth inning. Ohtani opened the inning with a ball into right field and used his speed to stretch it into a double, losing his helmet as he rounded first base. Betts then flew out, moving Ohtani to third with one out. That’s when reliever Adrian Morejón settled in and struck out Freeman and Kyle Tucker to escape the inning with the score still tied 4-4.
“Obviously that double was the first part of there, but you just got to execute your pitches afterwards and get those guys out,” Morejon said.
In the top of the ninth inning, Stammen turned to Mason Miller, but the shakiness that has surfaced recently late in games appeared again. Miller walked Max Muncy after challenging a potential strikeout. After Muncy was replaced by Alex Call, Miller attempted to catch him leaning at first base, but a miscommunication with France led to an errant throw that rolled past first base and allowed Call to reach third.
The mistake proved costly when Andy Pages worked a nine-pitch at-bat before lifting a sacrifice fly. Tatis Jr. fired a throw home, but second baseman Sung-mun Song cut it off and threw to the plate himself. Fermin was unable to apply the tag in time.
May 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Alex Call (12) scores ahead of the tag of San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin (54) during the ninth inning at Petco Park.Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
May 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Alex Call (12) scores ahead of the tag of San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin (54) during the ninth inning at Petco Park.
“Not a feeling that I'm used to having it, I guess,” Miller said. “It’s pretty cut and dry, bad throw, and you see the consequences of that.”
The biggest issue for the Padres on Tuesday night was their inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities, and ultimately, the costly error between Miller and France.
“It's the little things, little things win games, and they also lose games, too,” Miller said. “So, we saw that tonight.”
The Padres and Dodgers will play the rubber match Wednesday afternoon at 5:40 p.m. PT with Ohtani (3-2) set to face Randy Vásquez (5-1).