The Los Angeles Dodgers have punched their ticket to the Nationwide League Championship Sequence and a date with the upstart New York Mets.
On Friday, the Dodgers downed the San Diego Padres, backed by solo dwelling runs from Enrique Hernandez and Teoscar Hernandez and a gutsy outing by beginning pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, successful Recreation 5 of the NLDS, 2-0.
Listed below are three takeaways from the motion:
Enrique Hernandez proves he is an all-time postseason gamerEnrique Hernandez was answerable for the primary and maybe most essential run for the Dodgers, hitting a second-inning dwelling run off Yu Darvish, which set the tone for the remainder of the sport. After going deep, supervisor Dave Roberts stated by way of the sport broadcast that “sure gamers need the massive second,” and the numbers again it up.
Posting a profession stat line of .238/.308/.405 with a .713 OPS, Enrique Hernandez would not appear to be the kind to thrive within the playoffs. Nonetheless, the 33-year-old steps it up within the postseason.
On the subject of playoff standouts, it’d take some time to get to Enrique Hernandez’s identify. Nonetheless, after going 1-of-3 with a homer in Recreation 5, he is cemented himself as a clutch playoff performer, slashing .277/.351/.548 with a .899 OPS in 75 video games.
Yamamoto gave Dodgers begin they wanted
After the bullpen pulled the burden in Recreation 4, the destiny of the Dodgers’ season was in Yamamoto’s palms, and he delivered. The Japanese star had his first massive MLB second, holding the Padres scoreless by means of 5 innings whereas permitting solely two hits off 63 pitches.
Roughed up by the Padres in Recreation 1, Yamamoto responded on Friday, preserving San Deigo off steadiness all through the evening regardless of ending with solely two strikeouts. It was the sort of tone-setting begin the Dodgers wanted within the largest spot doable.
In keeping with Greg Harvey of OptaStats, Yamamoto is the primary Dodgers pitcher to file 5.0 innings or extra shutout innings whereas permitting two or fewer hits in a winner-take-all state of affairs. Moreover, it is a feat solely eight pitchers have completed in MLB historical past.
Padres’ NLDS loss falls squarely on the offense’s shoulders
A victory away from punching their ticket to the NLCS, the Padres failed twice, with a non-existent offense guilty for the historic collapse.
Since scoring six runs within the second inning of Recreation 3, the Padres went 24 consecutive innings with out pushing a run throughout the plate. Over that stretch, San Diego’s one by means of 4 hitters, Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar and Manny Machado, got here up woefully small, combining to go 5-of-39.
Moreover, after gaining a 2-1 collection lead, the desk appeared set for the Padres. Shohei Ohtani wasn’t a lot of an element on the plate for the Dodgers, and L.A. needed to depend on its bullpen on the mound in Recreation 4 and Yamamoto, who San Diego shelled for 5 earned runs over three innings in Recreation 1, for Friday’s winner-take-all contest.
As an alternative of capitalizing, the Padres’ bats disappeared, and even one of the best pitching performances would not have saved them.
San Diego is not any stranger to latest playoff disappointment, shedding within the 2022 NLCS (4-1) and 2020 NLDS (3-0). However blowing the 2024 NLDS to the rival Dodgers, within the vogue it did, is arguably probably the most devastating playoff loss within the franchise’s historical past.
