The San Diego Padres finally won a home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in three years. While they scored enough runs to defeat their division rivals, Yu Darvish played a massive role in their victory, placing them above .500.
With his impeccable performance, Yu Darvish earned his third victory of the season. He demonstrated his mastery by giving up only two hits, striking out seven batters, and not allowing a single run. This outstanding display of skill, combined with the efforts of Wandy Peralta and Robert Suarez, led to a resounding 4-0 shutout win against the Dodgers.
Yu Darvish had it all working today pic.twitter.com/FfH5oO4N6A
— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2024
Meanwhile, the Padres’ offense limited Dodgers starter Walker Buehler to 3.1 innings while giving up three runs (including two home runs) out of five hits. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth opened the scoring with respective solo home runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Luis Arraez’s forced-out grounder in the bottom of the 4th inning brought Jackson Merrill safely across home plate for a 3-0 count. Xander Bogaerts settled the final count with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Padres had nine hits against the Dodgers, five of which came from Merrill and Bogaerts combined. While the Padres are now 22-21, they are still 5.5 games away from the Dodgers for the National League West lead.
After winning two of their last three games against the Dodgers, the Padres will start a three-game homestand against the Colorado Rockies on May 13.
-Lance Fernandez