In the San Diego Padres’ first home playoff game with fans since 2006, the hosts thrilled the crowd as the Padres topped the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 2-1. With the win in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, the Padres took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. That means the Padres are one win away from knocking off the Dodgers, who won a franchise-record 111 games during the regular season.
Padres starter Blake Snell struck out 5 1/3 innings of one run, and San Diego’s bullpen continued to put zeroes on the board. On offense, Trent Grisham hit his third home run of the 2022 postseason.
The winner of this series will advance to the NLCS to face the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies-Atlanta Braves NLDS.
Now for Game 3 takeaways.
Tony Gonsolin wasn’t able to give the Dodgers much
Thanks to a forearm injury, Gonsolin missed more than a month down the stretch and returned only in time to make a shorthanded start against the Rockies on Oct. 3. In Game 3 on Friday night, he wasn’t himself. The command was sorely lacking, and Gonsolin’s fastball velocity was down a bit (just like it was against Colorado in his last outing). He endured a first innings of 31 pitches, and Dave Roberts was thrilled to have Andrew Heaney warm up in that first frame. Things could have gotten worse in the second, but Gonsolin was able to escape disaster thanks in part to a Jurickson Profar header that went wide.
Roberts had a 75-pitch streak roughly slated for Gonsolin in Game 3, but was able to last just 42 pitches and 1 1/3 innings. During that span he allowed one run on four hits with a strikeout and a walk. Through the first two games of this series, the Dodgers posted eight relief appearances and eight innings of relief. Even with the day off before Game 3 and a first-round bye, LA’s bullpen is racking up some recent mileage. This trend continued on Friday.
The Fathers’ bullpen has been key
Through the first two games of this series, San Diego’s bullpen put up these numbers: 9 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 9 SO, 4 BB. Then, in the crucial Game 3, that same bullpen was tasked with protecting a one-run lead for 11 outs, including Nick Martinez in the sixth inheriting a runner in scoring position with one out. Once again, San Diego’s relief corps rose to the challenge and did so against one of MLB’s best offenses. Now for the updated numbers for the NLDS: 13 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 15 SO, 4 BB.
Trent Grisham continued his postseason fireworks
Pads center fielder and No. 8 hitter Trent Grisham endured a pretty rough regular season at the plate, but he came up big in the Wild Cards series with the Mets, hitting two home runs in three games. In the first two games of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Grisham didn’t do much, but he rediscovered his first-round power in the fourth inning of Game 3:
Andrew Heaney’s left the bat at 109.8 mph and traveled 389 feet. This third home run of the 2022 postseason, just six games into the game, put Grisham in elite franchise company:
At the very least, he will have at least two more games to tie or break Jim Leyritz’s record. Most importantly, the Padres probably wouldn’t be in their current situation without Grisham’s electric surge in October.
The Dodgers again struggled with runners in scoring position
The Dodgers on Friday night came up empty in RISP situations for the second straight game. In Game 3, they were 0 for 9 with RISP, and that means they are now 0 in their last 19 at those spots. Suffice it to say, the Dodgers are a couple of timely hits to make this series very different.
History favors the Fathers
Unsurprisingly, the Padres are in a good position at 2-1 in a best-of-five series. In the history of the best-of-five League Division Series, a team has taken a 2-1 series lead 67 times, and 49 of those 2-1 teams won the series. Framed another way, only 26.9 percent of teams down 2-1 in the LDS have come back to win, LDS said.
For the Dodgers, the first step in defying the odds and history comes in Game 4 on Saturday. Tyler Anderson goes to LA against Joe Musgrove, and first pitch is scheduled for 9:07 PM ET at Petco Park in San Diego.