LOS ANGELES, CA — The “How do you top that” of Monday night’s exciting return of Shohei Ohtani to the mound was in the air Tuesday evening as the Dodgers faced off against their rival from the south, the San Diego Padres, in game two of a four-game series in LA.
The Dodgers started 26-year-old lefty Jack Dreyer 2-2, 2.38 ERA, in what will be a bullpen game while the Padres countered with 26-year-old RHP Randy Vásquez, Navarette, Dominican Republic, who has a record of 3-4, with an ERA of 3.57.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Like Monday night, the Padres scored in the first inning on singles by Luis Arráez, San Felipe, Venezuela, and Gavin Sheets to take an early 1-0 lead. LA would jump ahead in the second inning on a double by Will Smith, who would tag up and score on a Max Muncy fly ball out.
National League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year nominee from 2024—Andy Pages—of Havana, Cuba, followed with a 386-foot solo home run into the left-center field pavilion, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
The Padres bounced back and scored two in the next inning to regain the lead 3-2. The night was beginning to take on a postseason rivalry between two teams that don’t like each other.
And sure enough, after Pages was hit by a pitch last night by, Dylan Cease, who was in complete control of all his pitches, and, less than 24 hours later, Padres superstar and 2020 NL LatinoMVP MVP, Fernando Tatis Jr. San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic was hit by a pitch as well as Shohei Ohtani.
The umpires then gathered and issued warnings to both teams. That sent Dodger manager out of the dugout to ask why Vásquez was not ejected. It got heated, and third base umpire Tripp Gibson ejected Roberts. The first time he was tossed this season.
To keep the game moving, Pages hit his second home run of the night, and 15th of the season, a 385-foot line drive to the same spot as his first one to tie the game up at 3-3.
But not to be outdone, Will Smith hit a two-run home run 388 feet to the same spot as Pages’ two dingers on a 12-pitch at bat. Giving LA a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning. What followed were three singles and a double to plate three more Dodger runs and an 8-3 LA lead.
After Padres shortstop Jose Iglesias, Havana, Cuba, was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning, pinch hitter Trenton Brooks deposited a 397-foot two-run home run into the right field pavilion. Then, a bases-loaded balk by Dodger reliever Michael Kopech made it an 8-6 game. And that’s how it ended.
Three batters hit by pitches, a balk, a manager ejected, and a crowd of 51,555 that stayed to the end of this three hour and nine minute marathon. What a rivalry!
Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
The big star tonight was Andy Pages, who went 4-4 with two home runs, three runs scored, and three RBI. He now has 15 homers on the season in 263 at-bats as he finished with 13 in all of 2024 over 403 at-bats.
The Dodgers have now taken four of five from the Padres and are looking for a possible four-game sweep.
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