The San Diego Padres had an impressive regular season, boasting one of the best offenses in franchise history. They scored a total of 30 runs in their first five postseason games. However, their lineup went silent at the worst possible time, resulting in back-to-back shutout losses and an end to their season. The Los Angeles Dodgers handed them a 2-0 defeat in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
Third baseman Manny Machado acknowledged the outstanding pitching performance by the Dodgers and credited them for their victory. The Padres struggled to string hits together and fell short despite having some opportunities.
In their final game, the Padres only managed two hits, both singles. This marked a disappointing end to their season as they endured a scoreless streak of 24 consecutive innings, which was also the longest postseason drought in Major League Baseball since 1991.
Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. attributed their struggles to bad timing and praised his teammates for putting up tough at-bats against strong pitching from the Dodgers.
Several key players underperformed during this series. Tatis had an exceptional start but struggled after hitting a home run in Game 3. Machado hit a two-run homer early on but struggled overall with his batting average throughout the series.
Luis Arraez, who won three consecutive NL batting titles, also had difficulty finding success at bat during this series.
The Padres’ inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities was evident in Game 4 when they went hitless with runners in scoring position during an 8-0 loss.
Additionally, San Diego struggled to get its leadoff batter on base consistently throughout these final games.
The Dodgers’ effective use of pitchers played a significant role in shutting down the Padres’ offense. Manager Dave Roberts utilized multiple pitchers over those scoreless innings and relied heavily on his bullpen’s strength.
Despite starting with Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 5, who performed well aside from allowing two singles and one walk, Roberts quickly turned to his bullpen once again to secure victory.
Roberts commended his players for executing pitches effectively and making plays when it mattered most. He credited his bullpen as being instrumental throughout this series.
For San Diego’s impressive regular-season offensive statistics – leading MLB in batting average while ranking eighth in runs – it all amounted to nothing as they fell short against Los Angeles.