PLAY AT THE PLATE
CLEVINGER EXITS EARLY; DODGERS WIN OPENER
Chris Taylor of the Dodgers scores in the 6th inning as Padres catcher Austin Nola tries to make a play Tuesday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Padres lost, 5-1.
The Padres got the good news they were hoping for Tuesday morning.
The arm they acquired for just such a moment was returning for Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
Then they were suddenly back to “all hands on deck.”
Mike Clevinger was a go, and then he was gone.
After Clevinger left two pitches into the second inning Tuesday night, the Padres held the Dodgers hitless through five innings, but Los Angeles came back for a 5-1 win at Globe Life Park.
The Dodgers tied the game on two walks and an error charged to Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth in the bottom of the fifth.
L.A. took the lead in the sixth on its ninth walk, first hit and a sacrifice f ly. The Dodgers scored four runs in the inning by getting three more hits, one more walk and a wild pitch.
In the middle of that rally, Padres manager Jayce Tingler was ejected. While walking to the mound to make his sixth pitching change, he shared his opinion of the strike zone with home plate umpire Lance Barrett. Tingler kept talking through a couple warnings by Barrett and was told by another um
pire while he was on the mound that he had been tossed. He then had more words for Barrett while Matt Strahm warmed up.
The Padres' only run gave them to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. After Wil Myers walked and stole second, their third stolen base of the game, Austin Nola drove him in with a single lined to left field. That ended a streak of 17 scoreless innings by the Dodgers, the fourth-longest such stretch in postseason history.
The Padres finished with three hits, four walks and 14 strikeouts.
Their deficit is only one game in a best-of-five series, but they seemingly are looking at a steep climb.
And after the day had started on such a high.
“A shot of energy,” Tingler said early Tuesday evening of Clevinger's return.
“To see the work he's been putting in … it means a lot,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said a short while later. “As teammates, we can't wait to see him go out tonight and start Game 1 for us.”
Clevinger was removed in the second inning after throwing two pitches that were well below his usual velocity — a 91 mph fastball and then a 77 mph slider that barely got to the plate, both 5 ticks off their average.
Tingler and Head Athletic Trainer Mark Rogow headed to the mound after Clevinger's second pitch to Cody Bellinger. A brief discussion ensued before Tingler patted Clevinger on the backside and sent him off the field.
“We don't know much right now,” Tingler said moments later on the FS1 telecast. “He felt good, looked good in the first inning. Stuff was right where it usually is. ... He had everything working. I think what happened was just that long half-inning there (top of the second), it tightened up and never warmed back up on him.
“It was a good sign in the first ... now the medical team's checking him out, and we've got our fingers crossed and hoping for good news.”
Pierce Johnson entered the game, and the Padres' fourth straight bullpen game in this postseason was on.
“We've been here before,” Tingler said on the broadcast. “As soon as Clevinger comes out, they all know what's in play. We're going to have to string it together, get some runs and hopefully the bullpen guys will be able to piece this together.”
Johnson got through the second and struck out Mookie Betts to start the third before he was replaced by Ryan Weathers. The 20year-old left-hander became the second pitcher to ever make his big-league debut in the postseason. The first was Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan on Monday.
Weathers got Corey Seager on a fly ball, walked Justin Turner and got Max Muncy on a fly to left.
His walk to Will Smith in the fourth inning was the fifth the Dodgers had drawn, but Weathers struck out Bellinger and got A.J. Pollock to pop up to Tatis in the center of the diamond before Tingler again made the walk from the dugout.
Austin Adams hit Enrique Hernandez with his second pitch, and he walked Chris Taylor to load the bases before getting Betts on a f ly ball to left to end the inning.
Tim Hill took over to start the fifth inning and issued a walk between getting two outs. Garrett Richards came in and walked Smith before getting Bellinger to send a routine grounder to Cronenworth. While Cronenworth yanked his throw slightly to Hosmer's right, the ball went off Hosmer's glove and seemed eminently catchable.
With the game tied, Richards issued a one-out walk in the sixth and then Betts lined a double to left field for the Dodgers' first hit. Strahm inherited runners at second and third and promptly allowed a sacrifice f ly by Corey Seager and RBI single by Turner that made it 3-1.
A double by Muncy was followed by an intentional walk to Smith that loaded the bases. The 10th walk by a Dodgers batter tied the Division Series record for a nineinning game.
Bellinger made it 4-1 with a single before Strahm was replaced by Craig Stammen, who wild-pitched a run home.
Whatever happened the rest of the way, at least one giant loss would be discussed afterward.
Clevinger was acquired on Aug. 31 in a nine-player trade with the Cleveland Indians. The Padres sent three major leaguers and three of their top 11 prospects to the Indians for Clevinger, outfielder Greg Allen (Hilltop High/SDSU) and a player to be named later.
The latter two pieces made the deal work, as did the Padres having to add minor league infielder Owen Miller. The deal was about getting Clevinger for this year and the next two.
The focus this season was putting him atop the rotation and having him lead them in the playoffs. With an eye toward the potential meeting with the Dodgers in this series, the Padres altered the order of their starters to keep Clevinger from facing them in mid-September.
Just two Dodgers batters — Betts and Muncy — had faced Clevinger before Tuesday night.
When he took the mound, it was to throw his second inning in a game since Sept. 13.
To the surprise of no one, he lacked command. He walked two batters, one fewer than he had in his first 19 innings with the Padres. Among his 22 pitchers were just 10 strikes, and he bounced three sliders.
Notably, Clevinger did not throw any curveballs. It was on that pitch that he felt the arm pain that forced him from his Sept. 23 start after one inning.
He was later diagnosed with a posterior elbow impingement and had a cortisone shot on Sept 25.
After throwing a bullpen session the day before last week's Wild Card Series, Clevinger was left off the roster for that series against the Cardinals.
The Padres were able to advance due in large part to an unprecedented contribution from their bullpen. Four relievers pitched in all three games. Five others pitched in two. The Padres became the first team ever to use at least eight pitchers in three straight games.
This series is against a better opponent and will require one more victory. If it goes the distance, it will last five games.
The Padres added an arm even with Clevinger returning. Said Tingler: “We're going into this series all hands on deck.”