<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-most-to-blame-nlds-loss-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', '3 Padres most to blame for NLDS loss vs. Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Padres-most-to-blame-for-NLDS-loss-vs-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>3 Padres most to blame for NLDS loss vs. Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T09:16:48-07:00">October 14th, 9:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T09:16:48-07:00">October 14th, 9:16am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matt Wadleigh is the lead NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball editor for ClutchPoints, and he also specializes in MLB and NFL coverage. He was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno with his wife and two dogs. Matthew is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres had everything you could’ve wanted from a playoff series. There were tempers flaring, trash-talking, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-mike-shildt-blasts-dodgers-fans-throwing-objects-field-game-2">fans throwing things</a> onto the field, a war of words with both sides, and even a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-trolls-ken-rosenthal-game-3-win-dodgers">controversial piece from Ken Rosenthal</a> that kept him out of the Padres dugout for one of the games.</p><p>The Dodgers took Game 1 before the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-truth-bomb-situation-game-3-defeat-padres">Padres responded in a big way</a> with two straight wins to put LA on the brink of elimination. However, the Dodgers responded right back with two straight wins to get the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-max-muncy-fires-nsfw-message-doubters-after-nlds-win">3-2 NLDS victory</a>.</p><p>The season ended in heartbreak for the Padres, although they had a magnificent season and were just a few plays away from moving on to the NLCS. There is always blame to go around, and here are a few Padres to blame for the NLDS loss to the NL West rival Dodgers.</p><h2><b>Dylan Cease </b></h2><p>Dylan Cease had a terrific season for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dylan-cease-trade-grade-padres-white-sox-blockbuster">Padres after being acquired</a> from the Chicago White Sox at the beginning of the year. Cease went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA and pitched 189 innings, which was a big boost for the rotation that dealt with various injuries.</p><p>Unfortunately, he struggled in the postseason. Cease did not pick in the two games against the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card round. But, Cease got the start in Game 1, and he gave up five runs on six hits in 3.1 innings.</p><p>Then, surprisingly, Mike Shildt inserted Cease as the Game 4 starter on short rest to try and finish the series. Unfortunately, Cease went just 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on four hits.</p><p>In total, he threw five innings in the postseason (all in the NLDS) and had an ERA of 14.40. It was a tough October for Cease, especially after such a strong regular season, but he started two of the three losses for the Padres in the NLDS.</p><h2><b>Mike Shildt</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Mike_Shildt_of_the_Padres.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>In theory, this is a difficult one to put the blame on. Shildt provided a giant spark from the Bob Melvin days of 2023. The Padres’ new manager gave the team a spark in a big way, which was evident with the 93-69 record and the Wild Card win over the Braves.</p><p>On the other hand, there were plenty of questionable decisions in the Dodgers series. In the Wild Card round against the Braves, it was Michael King and Joe Musgrove who got the strtas, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-joe-musgrove-miss-nlds-devastating-tommy-john-surgery-update">Musgrove suffered an injury</a> and later had to undergo Tommy John surgery.</p><p>Shildt beginning the series with Cease made sense, and then giving Yu Darvish the Game 2 start was another logical move. But, the biggest question came in Game 4. After the Padres seemed to have flipped the momentum and taken a 2-1 lead, all they needed was to win one more with Game 4 set at Petco Park.</p><p>But, Shildt decided to throw Cease on short rest, something the veteran had never done before in his MLB career. On top of that, this was only Cease’s second time playing in the postseason. In 2021, Cease made one start with the Chicago White Sox and went 1.2 innings while giving up three runs.</p><p>On the other hand, Shildt had Martin Perez, a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-new-san-diego-boosts-rotation-trade-with-pirates">midseason trade deadline acquisition</a>, sitting in the bullpen. Perez had not pitched in the postseason but <a href="https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/padres-nlds-roster-national-league-division-series-dodgers/3641083/" rel="noopener">was on</a> the NLDS roster. On top of that, Perez pitched well since coming over via trade. In 10 appearances, Perez had a 3.46 ERA with a 3-1 record in 52 innings, and him being a southpaw would’ve made for a more difficult matchup for some of the LA hitters.</p><p>Nonetheless, it’s hard to place all the blame on Shildt for one decision, but that was the turning point in the series without a doubt.</p><h2><b>Padres offense down the stretch </b></h2><p>It’s hard to place the blame on one specific player on offense, especially because they played well in the first three games of the series. The Padres scored 21 runs in the first three games combined, including 10 in the Game 2 breakout with six home runs.</p><p>However, Games 4 and 5 were the complete opposite. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts trotted out a bullpen crew in Game 4, and the Padres finished with seven hits and zero runs, including just one extra-base hit in that game.</p><p>Then, Game 5 was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who tossed a gem with five shutout innings while giving up just two hits and a walk. As a result, the Padres ended the series by going 24 straight innings without scoring a run.</p><p>It was a surprising turn of events for the Padres offense, and that can’t happen when October rolls around. For the Dodgers, the pitching continued into Game 1 of the NLCS as they beat the New York Mets 9-0 in another shutout.</p><p>Still, it was a great year for the Padres, and while the NLDS loss will sting, the future is still bright in San Diego.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 Padres most to blame for NLDS loss vs. Dodgers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/3-offseason-moves-padres-make-nlds-loss-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', '3 offseason moves Padres must make after NLDS loss vs. Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/X-offseason-moves-Padres-must-make-after-NLDS-loss-vs.-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>3 offseason moves Padres must make after NLDS loss vs. Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T05:44:18-07:00">October 14th, 5:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T06:39:22-07:00">October 14th, 6:39am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-manny-machado-gets-100-real-heartbreaking-loss-dodgers">lost the NLDS in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers</a>. After a great second half, they could not close out the final win to send their rivals packing. The excellent season was wasted before the NLCS once again. Despite the 93 wins and Wild Card Series victory, improvements need to be made in San Diego. How do Tanner Scott, Jurickson Profar, and a new catcher play into the Padres’ offseason plans?</p><p>The Padres entered the All-Star Break at .500 and out of the National League playoff picture. They went 43-20 after the break, the best record in baseball over that stretch. They rolled that hot finish into the Wild Card Series, where they faced an injured Braves squad. The Padres swept Atlanta and were the only home team to win in the best-of-three round.</p><p>That set up another matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres and Dodgers faced off in the 2022 NLDS and 2020 NLDS and split those matchups. San Diego took a 2-1 series lead after a dominant Game 3 win. Their offense disappeared in the final two games and did not score a run on the way to losing both. Now, the focus shifts to the offseason where they have plenty of questions to answer.</p><h2><b>Padres must extend Tanner Scott</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tanner-Scott-with-San-Diego-Padres.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Padres made multiple big moves at the trade deadline to kickstart that hot second half. The biggest one was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/marlins-grading-padres-huge-tanner-scott-trade">closer Tanner Scott, who went from the Marlins</a> to San Diego. He was spectacular when he arrived and they gave up a lot of prospects to get him. That means that general manager AJ Preller must sign the pending UFA to a new contract.</p><p>Scott exposed the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-the-hole-shohei-ohtani-game-new-york-exploit-padres">hole in Shohei Ohtani’s game</a> and, if Game 1 is any indication, the Mets can not do the same. The Padres and Dodgers will undoubtedly play big games again next year and for many years to come. With a guy who can get Ohtani out, the Padres may have a chance to unseat LA in the future.</p><p>This will be an expensive deal as Scott is one of the premier relievers in baseball. Last offseason, Josh Hader signed a five-year deal worth $19 million per season to become the highest-paid reliever ever. While it is unlikely that Scott will break that record, the Padres are willing to spend in free agency.</p><h2><b>What is Jurickson Profar’s situation? </b></h2><p>The Padres were led all season long by Jurickson Profar. The former top prospect signed a one-year deal worth $1 million for this season and outperformed that. He posted a career-high .280 batting average and 134 OPS+ while playing left field. This is Profar’s second stint with the Padres but it could be coming to an end after he proved himself to be a great outfielder this season.</p><p>His career year was capped by a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-jurickson-profar-message-san-diego-fans-ugliness-dodger-stadium">ridiculous catch in Game 2 of the NLDS</a>. He robbed Mookie Betts of a home run in the first inning and taunted the Dodgers fans afterward. When fans started throwing things at him, the team rallied around him and ended up winning the game 10-2. It would be a big loss if he left but there are plenty of teams who could pay Profar big money to leave.</p><p>The Padres rolled out three former shortstops in the outfield this year. Fernando Tatis Jr has turned into a serviceable right fielder, Jackson Merrill looks like a star in center, and then you have Profar. They might benefit from having a real corner outfielder out there who can still provide offense. Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernandez, and Alex Verdugo would all be options. They also could sign Profar to a big-money deal to keep this band together.</p><h2><b>A new catcher is needed in San Diego</b></h2><p>35-year-old Kyle Higashioka was the starting catcher for the Padres this year. He was sent to San Diego as part of the Juan Soto trade and was immediately thrust into action. Higashioka was very good as the catcher, hitting two home runs in the playoffs and playing 84 regular-season games with a 101 OPS+. They need a long-term catcher in free agency this year.</p><p>Higashioka is an unrestricted free agent, which is part of the reason that the Yankees sent him to the Padres. He could come back as a backup catcher, which is what he was in New York. If he does, they should go out and get a young player to be the bell cow. Catcher Ethan Salas <a href="https://www.mlb.com/prospects/padres" rel="noopener">is their</a> top prospect but is not expected to crack the MLB squad until 2026.</p><p>32-year-old Austin Hedges would be a solid option. He is currently the backup for the Guardians and could be a platoon piece with Higashioka. They added Elias Diaz mid-season and they could certainly keep him around. Regardless, the catcher position will be a hotly-discussed topic in San Diego.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 offseason moves Padres must make after NLDS loss vs. Dodgers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-manny-machado-gets-100-real-heartbreaking-loss-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Manny Machado gets 100% real on heartbreaking loss to Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Padres-news-Manny-Machado-gets-100-real-on-heartbreaking-loss-to-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Manny Machado gets 100% real on heartbreaking loss to Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T11:09:53-07:00">October 12th, 11:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T11:10:12-07:00">October 12th, 11:10am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is difficult to evaluate the San Diego Padres’ season. When a team trades away possibly its best player and hires a new manager, making the playoffs should be considered an unequivocal success. The odds makers did not expect a whole lot from this club, either. Hence, a National League Division Series loss at the hands of a team entrenched in World Series or bust mode should not negate the impressive stretch of baseball the Friars enjoyed in 2024, right? Right?</p><p>Context is key. Besides Juan Soto’s departure, the main reason there was skepticism surrounding the Padres heading into this season was because of how badly they undershot expectations in 2023. The ballclub still possessed All-Star talent in both its lineup and pitching staff, so a San Diego surge was not incomprehensible. Following a few crucial additions, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-joe-musgrove-difference-2023-2024-squads">a change in chemistry</a> and a vastly improved record in extra-inning games (2-12 in 2023 to 10-2 in 2024), the Padres leaped right back into the October fray.</p><p>An active trade deadline positioned them for a deep postseason run and drastically changed the perception surrounding the team. Ultimately, the franchise did not meet the standard it had quickly and impressively reestablished for itself over the course of the year. Should San Diego be commended for becoming a legitimate NL threat once again? Or should it be condemned for falling short once again, and to its detested rival no less?</p><p>Manny Machado, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-san-diego-gives-manny-machado-his-flowers-nlds-game-5">the Padres’ leader</a>, seems to be <a href="https://x.com/973TheFanSD/status/1844961872430194904" rel="noopener">similarly conflicted</a> when it comes to assessing the 2024 Friars.</p><h2><b>Padres take big strides but cannot close</b></h2><p>“It sucks to lose, right,” he told the media postgame, via 97.3 The Fan, after the club’s 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a do-or-die Game 5 on Friday night. “You take it how it is. I’m just proud of these guys. This group in here went above and beyond every single day and fought until the last out was made. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of this team and organization, and everything we’ve done this year.”</p><p>The offense went painfully silent in the last two games, scoring no runs against Dodgers pitching after building a 2-1 series lead. Machado especially struggled, posting a paltry .190 batting average and six strikeouts in the NLDS. His playoff shortcomings continue to magnify, as the team squanders what might have been its best opportunity at a title in this era.</p><p>When the proceedings reach an official close in the coming weeks, there is a decent chance that San Diego will have been eliminated by the 2024 World Series champions. Many fan bases would reluctantly accept such an outcome, but this one genuinely sensed that something special was brewing in The 619.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/BenHigginsSD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BenHigginsSD</a> spoke with Manny Machado about the tough ending to this season: <a href="https://t.co/9AQlKyuqgu">pic.twitter.com/9AQlKyuqgu</a></p><p>— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) <a href="https://twitter.com/973TheFanSD/status/1844961872430194904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Regardless of how the year started, San Diego was all in for 2024</b></h2><p>Despite shipping out Soto, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-san-diego-tanner-scott-trade-marlins">the organization invested</a> in a championship by adding to the starting rotation and bullpen. It seemingly checked all the boxes for a postseason crown, while other franchises entered the playoffs mired in uncertainty. There is no denying that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-ha-seong-kim-joe-musgrove-surgery-san-diego-dodgers">Joe Musgrove’s devastating elbow injury</a> (just underwent Tommy John surgery) affected the Padres, considering Dylan Cease pitched on short rest and got shelled in Game 4, but they still failed to put a dent in LA’s bullpen or Yoshinobu Yamamoto.</p><p>The city should definitely look back fondly on the emergence of Jackson Merrill, the infectious energy exuded by Fernando Tatis Jr. and the overall euphoria produced by this bounce-back campaign. Though, a reflection period cannot accurately occur without also acknowledging the bitter missteps that Manny Machado and the Padres made in October.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Manny Machado gets 100% real on heartbreaking loss to Dodgers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-brutally-honest-after-defeating-padres');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman gets brutally honest after defeating Padres');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Freddie-Freeman-gets-brutally-honest-after-defeating-Padres.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman gets brutally honest after defeating Padres</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T11:07:19-07:00">October 12th, 11:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T15:25:44-07:00">October 12th, 3:25pm</time><address><a>Derek Hryn</a>Derek Hryn is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints specializing in NFL and NCAA Football coverage. Derek was previously a fantasy football expert at DK and SB Nation, and he has been featured at FanSided, USA Today, NBC Sports, The New York Post, and others.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the NLCS with a 2-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday. After the game, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-game-5-lineup">Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman</a> was <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1844935348104605774" rel="noopener">happily marveling over the team’s effort</a> this series, per MLB Network.</p><p>“Kiké was huge, Yamamoto, Teoscar adding on,” Freeman said. “Our pitching staff has … been absolutely incredible. This feels awesome.”</p><p>Freeman was productive in Game 5, following his absence from the previous game of the series. He hit a line-drive shot in his first at-bat of the game but was left stranded on base. The Dodgers’ pitching deserves a ton of the credit, as do Teoscar Hernandez and Enrique Hernandez, who each hit solo home runs in a very quiet offensive game.</p><p>The Dodgers’ deep lineup finally was able to get the franchise over the postseason hump. Yoshinobu Yamamoto fanned two batters in five innings pitched and allowed just two hits.</p><p>The Dodgers rallied around his tremendous start, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-delivers-epic-locker-room-speech-nlds-win">manager Dave Roberts did a great job</a> rotating four additional pitchers. If the bullpen continues with these superb performances in the next series, Los Angeles is certainly going to wind up being a tough matchup.</p><h2><b>Dodgers offense will improve in NLCS</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Freddie-Freeman_5421f6.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Dodgers were fortunate in Game 5. Seldom are they going to defeat a team with as much firepower as the Padres by only scoring twice. Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-20 at the plate this series, which likely won’t happen again. It’s an encouraging sign to Dodgers fans that they have enough roster depth to win games despite their best player’s struggles.</p><p>Mookie Betts should also bounce back from his hitless outing in Game 5 after recording four total hits in the previous two games.</p><p>The New York Mets come to town on Sunday for Game 1 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 PM ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman gets brutally honest after defeating Padres

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-max-muncy-fires-nsfw-message-doubters-after-nlds-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Max Muncy fires NSFW message to doubters after Dodgers’ NLDS win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Max-Muncy-fires-NSFW-message-to-doubters-after-LAs-NLDS-win.jpg"></figure><h1>Max Muncy fires NSFW message to doubters after Dodgers’ NLDS win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T08:57:55-07:00">October 12th, 8:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T08:58:21-07:00">October 12th, 8:58am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy has a message to people who doubt his team. Muncy <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeHHarris/status/1844955032078196814" rel="noopener">fired off that message</a> following the club’s NLDS series victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday. It includes some words that may be unsuitable for younger ears.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Max Muncy kept the receipts 🧾 <a href="https://t.co/UBTAhAlOdl">pic.twitter.com/UBTAhAlOdl</a></p><p>— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeHHarris/status/1844955032078196814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“80 percent of you f***ers didn’t believe in us, 80 percent of you f***ers thought we were going to lose,” Muncy said after Game 5, in a video that went viral. Muncy appeared understandably upset that people doubted the team, even pointing his finger at the camera.</p><p>It’s unclear where Muncy <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10139076-max-muncy-rips-experts-who-doubted-dodgers-chances-vs-padres-f--k-those-guys" rel="noopener">is getting the 80 percent figure from</a>, per Bleacher Report, although there were several baseball analysts who predicted the Padres would win the series. San Diego did give the Dodgers all they could handle, but Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-delivers-epic-locker-room-speech-nlds-win">won the series in five games</a>.</p><p>The Dodgers held the Padres scoreless in the final 24 consecutive innings of the series, using excellent pitching to advance to the National League Championship Series.</p><h2>Dodgers now moving on to face Mets in the NLCS</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Miguel-Rojas.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Dodgers will hope to continue playing excellent defense, as they face the Mets in the NLCS. New York is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-why-new-york-alds-victory-mets-carlos-mendoza-hyped">one of the most interesting stories</a> in Major League Baseball this season, after starting the season 0-5. New York is headed to the NLCS after knocking out the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies this postseason.</p><p>Los Angeles has definitely dominated headlines this season though, in many MLB circles. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani put together <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/shohei-ohtani-already-made-mlb-obscene-amount-of-money">a memorable season</a>, reaching a 50-50 for the first time in baseball history. Ohtani slashed 54 home runs during the regular season, in a spectacular offensive performance.</p><p>The Dodgers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-yoshinobu-yamamotos-nlds-message">also return the services</a> of pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who missed nearly the entire regular season with injury. Yamamoto started Game 5 against the Padres, and threw for five scoreless innings.</p><p>It turns out Muncy is not the only Dodgers player who believes in this club.</p><p>“We have a bunch of grinders and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/10/10/dodgers-vs-padres-game-5-la-secretive-about-starter-sd-ready-to-ball/75620877007/" rel="noopener">a bunch of fighters</a>,” right fielder Mookie Betts said, per USA Today. “They’re a tough team. We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing’s easy. So you just got to take whatever cards you’re dealt and play them.</p><p>“And that’s what we’ve been doing.”</p><p>The Dodgers and Mets play Game 1 Sunday of the NLCS. Max Muncy will surely be keeping the receipts of those who doubt his team can win the NL pennant.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Max Muncy fires NSFW message to doubters after Dodgers’ NLDS win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-ha-seong-kim-joe-musgrove-surgery-san-diego-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ha-Seong Kim, Joe Musgrove undergo surgery as Padres battle Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Padres-news-Ha-Seong-Kim-Joe-Musgrove-undergo-surgery-as-San-Diego-battles-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>Ha-Seong Kim, Joe Musgrove undergo surgery as Padres battle Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T18:18:25-07:00">October 11th, 6:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T18:18:25-07:00">October 11th, 6:18pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-eyes-dodgers-padres-game-5-pitching-matchup">San Diego Padres are locked in an intense battle</a> with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, but they’re doing it without two of their top contributors. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-joe-musgrove-miss-nlds-devastating-tommy-john-surgery-update">Musgrove injured his elbow in the Padres’ Wild Card series</a> against the Atlanta Braves, and Kim has been out since the middle of August with a shoulder injury.</p><p>As the Padres prepared for their win-or-go-home Game 5 in Los Angeles, both Kim and Musgrove <a href="https://x.com/dennistlin/status/1844874143151317354" rel="noopener">underwent surgery for their injuries</a>, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.</p><p>“Ha-Seong Kim underwent his shoulder surgery yesterday with Dr. Neal El Attrache (labrum repair), and Joe Musgrove had his TJ surgery today with Dr. Keith Meister,” Lin reported on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The Padres have had to make do without Kim’s defense at shortstop, instead sliding Xander Bogaerts back to his former position. Musgrove’s absence in the rotation has been felt as well, as the Padres were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-breaks-franchise-record-set-1965-padres-beatdown">forced to throw Dylan Cease on short rest</a> in Game 4 in San Diego. Cease allowed three earned runs in just 1.2 innings as the Dodgers cruised to a blowout victory.</p><h2><b>Padres attempting to rally back after Kiké Hernández home run</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Yu-Darvish-.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Yu Darvish and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are both off to good starts in Game 5, but one swing of the bat has decided things so far. In the bottom of the second inning, Dodgers center fielder Kiké Hernández crushed a solo home run to left field to put the Dodgers ahead 1-0.</p><p>Yamamoto has been clinical so far, only allowing a couple of baserunners in the third inning. He was able to get out of the jam by forcing the red-hot bat of Fernando Tatis Jr. to ground into an inning-ending double play. Other than that, the Padres haven’t ben able to hit the Dodgers’ starter, despite a couple of well-hit flyouts to the warning track.</p><p>On the other side, Darvish has also pitched very well other than the one mistake on the home run, but that could be all it takes to lift the Dodgers over the hump and into the NLCS.</p><p>The Padres’ lineup has been hot in these playoffs, but they have struggled to hit the Dodgers bullpen over the last few games. Either they will have to reverse that trend or get to Yamamoto quickly before Dave Roberts turns to his relievers to try and close out the series. San Diego has the firepower to get it done, but they have put themselves in an early hole with their season on the line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ha-Seong Kim, Joe Musgrove undergo surgery as Padres battle Dodgers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-san-diego-gives-manny-machado-his-flowers-nlds-game-5');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres give Manny Machado his flowers before NLDS Game 5');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Padres-news-San-Diego-gives-Manny-Machado-his-flowers-before-NLDS-Game-5.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres give Manny Machado his flowers before NLDS Game 5</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T17:12:52-07:00">October 11th, 5:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T17:12:52-07:00">October 11th, 5:12pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt and teammates Jake Cronenworth &amp; Xander Bogaerts paid big compliments to third baseman Manny Machado ahead of their team’s big Game 5 NLDS matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the FOX pregame show.</p><p>“I couldn’t ask for a better teammate, better leader – he works harder than anybody I’ve ever played with,” Cronenworth said.</p><p>“Manny shows up every day. A guy who’s going to get you 30 (home runs) and 100 (RBI). And a guy who’s going to play Gold Glove defense. It doesn’t get more steady than that,” Bogaerts said.</p><p>“The thing that impresses me about Manny, of many things, is watching him play defense. And how easy he makes the hard look,” said Shildt.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I couldn't ask for a better teammate, better leader – he works harder than anybody I've ever played with."</p><p>Mike Shildt and <a href="https://twitter.com/Padres?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Padres</a> players give high praise to Manny Machado for his mentality and leadership <a href="https://t.co/7L5pmE0HdU">pic.twitter.com/7L5pmE0HdU</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1844882822491684935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The 32-year-old corner infielder had yet another big statistical season in 2024 with a .275/.325/.472/.797 slash line to go along with 29 home runs, 105 RBI and 11 steals.</p><h2><b>The evolution of Padres star Manny Machado </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Padres-Manny-Machado-throwing-the-ball-to-first-base.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Although perhaps a year past his prime, Machado has more than settled in with the Padres after joining the team in 2019. The six-time All-Star is the emotional core to a team brimming with talent. Far removed, but not entirely, from his bad boy antics that some would argue derailed his career, there are many media analysts who can’t help but drag his name. Eric Hosmer, a former Padres teammate, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-ex-padre-gives-candid-look-at-manny-machado-amid-mlb-insiders-hit-piece">came to Machado’s defense</a> after Ken Rosenthal’s damaging <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8RTHrcuBB4&amp;t=70s" rel="noopener">piece appeared</a> in The Athletic.</p><p>“I’m sick and tired of all this mess,” Hosmer said. “Because can we not just focus on the game and focus on the careers that these guys are having, and the legacy that these guys are building, and the legacy that these guys are continuing? Manny Machado, let’s start right there. What Ken failed to mention is Manny Machado is on his way to a Hall of Fame career, might have already solidified a Hall of Fame type career.”</p><p>Rosenthal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5828048/2024/10/08/manny-machado-dugout-throw-dodgers-padres/" rel="noopener">criticized what he viewed</a> as typical Machado behavior.</p><p>“Machado indeed showed leadership in the dugout, draping his arm around catcher Kyle Higashioka and imploring his teammates to maintain their focus,” Rosenthal said. “But his punkish response to Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. with a 91.7 mph sinker, well, that was Manny being Manny. Again.”</p><p>Hosmer continued to speak of all that Machado does behind the scenes.</p><p>“Not only does he have 300 career plus home runs, not only does he give you 30 and 100 and play 150 games every year but this guy off the field donates to the Boys &amp; Girls Club of San Diego time and time again,” Hosmer said.</p><p>Game 5 of the NLDS between the Padres and Dodgers will settle the series. The winner will advance to the NLCS, where they will face the New York Mets in Game 1 on Sunday, October 13.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres give Manny Machado his flowers before NLDS Game 5

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-vs-dodgers-game-5-prop-prediction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres vs. Dodgers Game 5 Prop Prediction');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/0Padres-vs.-Dodgers-Game-5-Prop-Prediction0.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres vs. Dodgers Game 5 Prop Prediction</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T15:05:59-07:00">October 11th, 3:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T15:05:59-07:00">October 11th, 3:05pm</time><address><a>Jake Faigus</a>Jake Faigus graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 and has written for several publications and websites. He has had stops at Catena Media, Playmaker, DraftKings, USA Today, Spike Up, and Spotlight Sports Group. He also writes for Sporting News and works at iHeartMedia in Phoenix when he is not writing for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is a massive game in the MLB tonight with two division rivals, the Padres and Dodgers, meeting in a winner-take-all Game 5 in the NLDS. Playoff baseball is incredible and this series has proven to be amazing. We’re here to share our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> and make some props predictions for the massive Padres-Dodgers Game 5 of the NLDS.</p><p>We will talk about our picks for the best props to take in Game 5, so hits, home runs, and total strikeouts by some of the biggest stars in baseball.</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb?tab=mlb-draft">MLB Postseason Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>Padres-Dodgers Props:</b></h2><p>Fernando Tatis Jr. to hit a home run (+290)</p><p>Shohei Ohtani to get 2+ hits (+180)</p><p>Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get over 3.5 strikeouts (-112)</p><h2>Fernando Tatis Jr. to Hit a Home Run:</h2><p>Fernando Tatis Jr. has been a star for the San Diego Padres. He had a .276 batting average, 21 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a .833 OPS this season. In the postseason, he has 11 hits, seven RBIs, and four home runs. He has been lights out during this postseason run for the San Diego Padres and every hit of his has carried weight. He starts the offense up and gets the rest of the Padres ready to go. He is the best slugger on this team for the postseason. Machado, Profar, and Merrill are stars in their own right, but Tatis gets the offense going. He is the key and should have a great chance of hitting a home run against Yamamoto or the Dodgers bullpen later on in the game.</p><h2>Shohei Ohtani to Get 2+ Hits:</h2><p>Shohei Ohtani has been unbelievable this season. He is due for a big game because he only has 4 total hits during this postseason run. During the regular season, Ohtani had a .310 batting average, 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, 130 RBIs, and a 1.036 OPS. He had a record-breaking season this year and it seems like we are waiting for the big game this postseason. He has four hits, one home run, and four RBIs. The Dodgers go as he goes this season and it comes down to this massive game. Yu Darvish is the pitcher for San Diego and he has been solid this season, but I still like Ohtani in this game to get at least two, probably more hits in this spot back home in Los Angeles.</p><h2>Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get Over 3.5 Strikeouts:</h2><p>Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a great season in his first season with the Dodgers. He had a 7-2 record, a 3.00 ERA, and a 1.11 WHIP. However, he struggled when he started his only other game this postseason. He pitched three innings, and allowed five runs on five hits with two walks and one strikeout. He is due for a better game because of the solid season he had. This game is going to be close, but Yamamoto should be a difference-maker for the Dodgers. Expect the Dodgers to put him in situations where he can succeed and he can hit over this number in strikeouts against a great offensive lineup for San Diego.</p><h2>Final Prediction:</h2><p>These bets should all have great chances of hitting. Tatis has carried the Padres this postseason and the Dodgers are due for good games with their big acquisitions from the offseason in both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. This should be a great game and expect these two division rivals to give us an instant classic.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres vs. Dodgers Game 5 Prop Prediction

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-game-5-lineup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman in Game 5 lineup after missing Game 4');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/0Freddie-Freeman-in-Game-5-lineup-after-missing-Game-4-0.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman in Game 5 lineup after missing Game 4</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T13:25:11-07:00">October 11th, 1:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T13:41:49-07:00">October 11th, 1:41pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-tried-to-confuse-padres-with-freddie-freeman-move">Los Angeles Dodgers will have Freddie Freeman</a> <a href="https://x.com/BlakeHHarris/status/1844830689465905661" rel="noopener">back in the starting lineup</a> in Game 5 of their National League Divisional Series against the San Diego Padres, per ESPN’s Blake Harris. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-freddie-freeman-game-4-padres">Freeman did not play in Game 4</a>. He initially sustained an ankle sprain when trying to run out an infield single against the Padres on September 26. The Dodgers clinched the National League West in that game.</p><p>Freeman played through pain in the series’ first three games but was a late scratch in Game 4. Los Angeles won that game 8-0 to avoid elimination.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-finally-name-game-5-starter-vs-padres">Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the start in Game 5</a> for the Dodgers. He struggled in Game 1, allowing five runs and walking two batters in three innings.</p><h2><b>Dodgers need pitching to step up in deadlocked series<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-Freddie-Freeman-holding-his-foot-after-an-injury.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Dodgers’ pitching has been all over the place. In Game 3, Walker Buehler pitched five innings and allowed seven hits and six earned runs. All six runs came in the second inning, punctuated with a Fernando Tatis Jr. two-run home run.</p><p>In Game 2, RHP Jack Flaherty allowed five hits and four earned runs in 5.1 IP. The bullpen was also tagged, allowing eight hits, four home runs and six earned runs across 3.2 IP.</p><p>The Dodgers’ veiled attempts at gamesmanship, like the late-scratch of Freeman or late announcement of their Game 5 starter, fall on the deaf ears of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-mike-shildt-san-diego-vince-lombardi-game-5-dodgers">Padres manager Mike Shildt</a>, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.</p><p>“Everybody operates their own club the way they operate it. We’re more like Vince Lombardi, power sweep, here it is. Yu Darvish is going to start, here’s our lineup.”</p><p>In case it’s unclear, Shildt means he believes a team must simply execute the game plan. Even if the opponent knows what’s coming, they still have to stop it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman in Game 5 lineup after missing Game 4

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-michael-king-begging-game-5-appearance-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Michael King ‘begging’ for potential Game 5 appearance vs. Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-11-24-padres-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Michael King ‘begging’ for potential Game 5 appearance vs. Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T11:02:41-07:00">October 11th, 11:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T11:02:41-07:00">October 11th, 11:02am</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is all hands on deck for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-mike-shildt-san-diego-vince-lombardi-game-5-dodgers">San Diego Padres in a win-or-go-home NLDS Game 5</a> matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Ahead of the game, one Padres pitcher has made it clear to manager Mike Shildt that he is ready to go.</p><p>Starting pitcher Michael King, who threw 77 pitches in the Padres’ Game 3 victory on Tuesday, is doing <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/michael-king-volunteers-for-nlds-game-5-bullpen-duty" rel="noopener">absolutely everything</a> he can to make himself available for a potential relief appearance per AJ Cassavel of MLB.com.</p><p>“We have a stacked bullpen, so it’s not, like, a need. But I’m still begging. … I was a reliever,” King said. “Conversations have been had. I’m not getting the answers that I’d like to get. But I’m continuing to try to be available.”</p><p>Shildt answered vaguely when he was asked if he would consider using King in Game 5 on just two-days rest, per Cassavel.</p><p>“We never say never,” Shildt said. “We’ll leave it at that.”</p><p>King is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday, so it could make sense for Shildt to cancel that and have his starter ready in relief. If King’s workout is indeed cancelled, he could save his pitches for a potential relief appearance and get his side work done in-game.</p><p>If Game 5 starter Yu Darvish is knocked out early or the Padres are up late and need a run, King, who primarily pitched out of the bullpen for the New York Yankees, would be a great option for Shildt to turn to. In 40 relief appearances last season, King had a 3.08 ERA and recorded six saves.</p><h2><b>Michael King’s 2024 season with the San Diego Padres</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-11-24-king-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Expectations were high heading into the season for King, who was the centerpiece of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-yankees-padres-blockbuster-juan-soto-trade">trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees</a>. King pitched just about as well as anyone could have hoped for. Through 30 regular season starts, King went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts.</p><p>King was especially dominant in the second half of the season, recording a 2.15 ERA and leading the surging Padres to the first National League Wild Card spot. With King’s emergence, the Padres have had one of the top pitching staffs in all of baseball and become legitimate World Series contenders.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-michael-king-mlb-history">King’s best moment of the season came in Game 1 of the Wild Card</a> round against the Atlanta Braves, when he pitched seven shutout innings while striking out 12 and allowing just five hits.</p><p>In a perfect world, the Padres will not need to turn to King in Game 5. However, if the opportunity presents itself, it appears that he will be ready to step up.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Michael King ‘begging’ for potential Game 5 appearance vs. Dodgers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-mike-shildt-san-diego-vince-lombardi-game-5-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mike Shildt likens Padres to Vince Lombardi ahead of Game 5 vs. Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mike-Shildt-likens-San-Diego-to-Vince-Lombardi-ahead-of-Game-5-vs.-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>Mike Shildt likens Padres to Vince Lombardi ahead of Game 5 vs. Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T07:42:49-07:00">October 11th, 7:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T07:42:49-07:00">October 11th, 7:42am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Some MLB managers are very secretive, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-finally-name-game-5-starter-vs-padres">withholding information like starting pitchers</a> until the very last moment to, they hope, gain a competitive advantage over their opponent. San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt has decided to take the opposite approach entering an NLDS win-or-go-home Game 5 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.</p><p>Instead of keeping his starting pitcher as a secret, Shildt came out and announced <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-eyes-dodgers-padres-game-5-pitching-matchup">Yu Darvish as the starter</a>. He explained his decision to do, invoking legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi in the process.</p><p>“Padres manager Mike Shildt on revealing his starting pitcher and starting lineup with no gamesmanship: ‘Everybody operates their own club the way they operate it. We’re more like Vince Lombardi, power sweep, here it is. Yu Darvish is going to start, here’s our lineup,'” Shildt <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1844532682123800670" rel="noopener">said, via</a> USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.</p><h2><b>Mike Shildt, Padres face Dodgers in do-or-die Game 5</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-09-24-tatis-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Shildt will manage one of the biggest games of his career tonight. The first-year Padres manager has been a part of three win-or-go-home games before, the last of which coincidentally also against the Dodgers.</p><p>Back in 2021, when Shildt was the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dodgers eliminated St. Louis in the NL Wild Card, which was still just a single game. Shildt’s Cardinals scored the first run of the ballgame but allowed a game-tying run in the fourth inning before surrendering a Chris Taylor walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.</p><p>Shildt was also on the losing end of a do-or-die game against the Padres; in 2020, the Cardinals fell 4-0 in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card to San Diego. The only win-or-go-home game Shildt has won to this point in his managerial career is Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS vs. the Atlanta Braves. Unlike some of the other games of which he has ended up on the losing end, Shildt did not have to sweat much at all back in 2019, as the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning and ended up blowing out the Braves 13-1 to advance to the NLCS.</p><p>Tonight’s Game 5 is not expected to be a repeat of that game, although the Padres did hang 10 runs on Los Angeles in Darvish’s last start in Dodgers Stadium back in Game 2.</p><p>After being shut out by the Dodgers’ bullpen in Game 4, San Diego will have to get its bats going again. The Padres scored at least five runs in each of the first three games of the series and had scored no fewer than four runs during this playoff run before Wednesday’s 8-0 home defeat.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-vs-dodgers-nlds-game-5-prediction-odds-pick-2024">Game 5 between the Padres and Dodgers</a> is set to begin at 5:08 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to play the New York Mets in the NLCS.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mike Shildt likens Padres to Vince Lombardi ahead of Game 5 vs. Dodgers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-finally-name-game-5-starter-vs-padres');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers finally name NLDS Game 5 starter vs. Padres');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-LA-finally-names-Game-5-starter-vs-Padres.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers finally name NLDS Game 5 starter vs. Padres</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T22:37:03-07:00">October 10th, 10:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T23:26:11-07:00">October 10th, 11:26pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pressed all the right buttons in an 8-0 win versus the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, and he is facing more big decisions in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. The first major one has officially been made.</p><p>Yoshinobu Yamamoto <a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1844596736414642441" rel="noopener">will start for LA</a> in Dodger Stadium on Friday night, according to the team. He labored in Game 1– surrendered five runs and walked two batters in three innings– and has a 13.00 ERA in three outings against San Diego. In other words, maybe the young right-hander is due for a big-time performance just when the Dodgers need one most.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-considering-bold-pitching-plan-for-game-5-vs-padres">Roberts initially revealed</a> that he was choosing between Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty (also struggled vs. Padres) and another bullpen day. In the end, though, he is trusting the $325 million man.</p><p>The Dodgers signed the 26-year-old righty to a historic contract for moments like these. Granted, the expectation for this year was to lean on Tyler Glasnow before he was shut down for the remainder of the season with an elbow injury. But Yamamoto has the talent to lead his team to the next round of the MLB playoffs.</p><h2><b>Will Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers rise above the pressure?</b></h2><p>Although he is not yet living up to the impossible hype, the Japanese star was looking like a legitimate ace in June until he suffered a strained rotator cuff. He returned following a near-three-month stint on the injured list, gradually increased his pitch count and finished his rookie season with a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts (90 innings). A seven-inning gem might not be feasible, but the prized offseason addition might be able to give Roberts five strong.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-eyes-dodgers-padres-game-5-pitching-matchup">Yoshinobu Yamamoto will duel countryman Yu Darvish</a> in a high-octane environment. Nerves will be extremely high inside Dodger stadium, as the team tries to avoid a third straight NLDS exit. A calming presence on the mound in the first half of Game 5 could be the impetus for an NL Championship Series meeting with the New York Mets.</p><p>It might also leave no doubt about Dave Roberts’ job security. Needless to say, this final clash with the Padres is incredibly important for the Dodgers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers finally name NLDS Game 5 starter vs. Padres

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-eyes-dodgers-padres-game-5-pitching-matchup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shohei Ohtani has his eyes on Dodgers-Padres Game 5 pitching matchup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Shohei-Ohtani-has-his-eyes-on-LA-Padres-Game-pitching-matchup.jpg"></figure><h1>Shohei Ohtani has his eyes on Dodgers-Padres Game 5 pitching matchup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T18:22:32-07:00">October 10th, 6:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T18:22:32-07:00">October 10th, 6:22pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers have forced a deciding Game 5 against the Padres in their NLDS series after winning a shutout in Game 4, 8-0, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-breaks-franchise-record-set-1965-padres-beatdown">Dodgers’ largest shutout win in franchise history</a>. However, Game 4 was Game 4, and both teams have returned to the drawing board to make the necessary adjustments to pull out the win and advance to the NLCS against the New York Mets. One of these adjustments is a potential pitching matchup between the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto versus the Padres’ Yu Darvish, which Shohei Ohtani looks forward to seeing.</p><p>“Shohei Ohtani says he’s excited to see the expected matchup of Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Padres starter Yu Darvish in Game 5,” via <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1844502167551418801" rel="noopener">a post</a> from Bob Nightengale on X, formerly Twitter. “The trio led Japan to the 2023 WBC title.”</p><h2><b>Can Dodgers survive Game 5?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Shohei-Ohtani-taking-a-walk.jpg"><figcaption>© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>About an hour later, though, Dodgers manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-considering-bold-pitching-plan-for-game-5-vs-padres">Dave Roberts clarified their Game 5 pitching strategy</a>.</p><p>The skipper said that “they have not finalized their pitching plan for Game 5 but that Yamamoto ‘will be part of it,'” per <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1844513859677323482" rel="noopener">a follow-up post</a> from Nightengale. Perhaps this is the Dodgers doing proper gamesmanship and not giving the Padres a clear idea about their strategy.</p><p>Moreover, their bullpen strategy in Game 4 worked wonders, and the team might not want to fix what isn’t broken. Still, if the Dodgers do play Yamamoto, they might not start him.</p><p>After all, the last time he started was in the Dodgers’ Game 1 victory, where he threw for just three innings but gave up five hits, five earned runs, and two walks.</p><p>However, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-yoshinobu-yamamoto-agree-deal-la-mlb-free-agency">Dodgers did sign Yamamoto</a> to a 12-year, $325 million deal, the largest contract ever given to a pitcher, so it almost seems inevitable that he’ll see the mound one way or another in Game 5.</p><p>“We have six or seven relievers available, so I feel good about the relief coverage. How Yoshinobu is a part of it, we’re still talking through it,” Roberts told reporters via Eric Stephen for True Blue LA. “Guys will go and play catch, we’ll see how they feel, which will give us more information on ultimately on who takes the brunt of the game, and who starts the game. I just feel like [Yamamoto] will do whatever we ask.”</p><h2><b>On the Padres</b></h2><p>Meanwhile, the 38-year-old Yu Darvish has earned the full confidence of the Padres staff and teammates, though he has lost all four playoff elimination games he has pitched in the MLB. However, he did give the Dodgers headaches throughout the NLDS.</p><p>“I have full confidence. I feel like he’s already proven himself,” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-draws-david-ortiz-comparison-from-xander-bogaerts-after-game-3-heroics">Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.</a> said, via Mark Sheldon for MLB.com. “He’s proven himself in the last 18 years, probably, pitching in baseball. I have all my confidence playing behind him, and I’m ready to go.”</p><p>Whatever the adjustments, expect the Dodgers and Padres to throw haymakers at each other in Game 5 of the NLDS.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shohei Ohtani has his eyes on Dodgers-Padres Game 5 pitching matchup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-blunt-admission-first-postseason-appearance');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shohei Ohtani’s blunt admission amid first postseason appearance');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Shohei-Ohtanis-blunt-admission-amid-first-postseason-appearance.jpg"></figure><h1>Shohei Ohtani’s blunt admission amid first postseason appearance</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T17:09:11-07:00">October 10th, 5:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T17:17:19-07:00">October 10th, 5:17pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers found themselves on the brink of elimination after losing Game 3 of the NLDS to the San Diego Padres. Manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-pitching-plans-do-or-die-game-4-padres">Dave Roberts turned to his bullpen for the do-or-die</a> Game 4 and the team responded by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-breaks-franchise-record-set-1965-padres-beatdown">breaking a franchise record</a> for the largest shutout postseason win in franchise history. LA kept its season alive and will play a decisive Game 5 on Friday night.</p><p>It’s been an emotional series for both teams as the pressure mounts. Dodgers’ superstar DH Shohei Ohtani was asked if his display of emotion was unexpected. “I’m <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1844503096929702012" rel="noopener">not surprised</a> by it. I do think it’s part of who I am as well, obviously being respectful and mindful of the opponent. I think it’s an important part of the game,” Ohtani said via USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on X.</p><p>The usually restrained veteran isn’t the only player who has been caught up in the playoff atmosphere. Game 2 at Dodger Stadium devolved <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-gets-real-ugly-game-2-loss-padres">into an ugly situation</a> as fans <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-jurickson-profar-message-san-diego-fans-ugliness-dodger-stadium">threw baseballs at Padres’ outfielder Jurickson Profar</a> and San Diego third baseman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-describes-unsettling-video-of-manny-machado-throwing-ball-at-dugout">Manny Machado flung a ball at LA’s dugout</a>.</p><h2><b>Dodgers’ DH Shohei Ohtani is full of emotion in his first MLB playoff experience</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Shohei-Ohtani_865773.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Padres fans got even when the series moved to San Diego with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-ruthless-treatment-padres-fans-game-3">ruthless welcome for the Dodgers</a>. LA dropped Game 3 and fell behind 2-1 in the NLDS but delivered a huge 8-0 victory with their backs against the wall on Wednesday. Despite the final score, emotions were still running hot. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-ballistic-heated-game-4-padres">Ohtani was visibly heated</a> after being thrown out at home on a freak play where the ball bounced off an umpire and stayed in the infield.</p><p>Given all the awards and accolades Ohtani has collected over his seven-year MLB career, it’s hard to believe this is his first postseason action. Not only did the Los Angeles Angels fail to reach the playoffs with Ohtani on the roster, they couldn’t put together a winning season during his tenure. While the superstar two-way player made three All-Star teams and won two MVP awards, two Silver Sluggers and Rookie of the Year with the Angels, he’s only now enjoying postseason baseball since shifting his Los Angeles allegiance.</p><p>Ohtani had a remarkable debut season with the Dodgers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtanis-immediate-reaction-to-reaching-40-40-mark-with-walk-off-grand-slam">joining the 40/40 club</a> and then <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-50-50-season">creating the 50/50 club</a>. He finished with 54 homers and 59 steals and is a lock to win his third-career MVP. However, Ohtani is yet to find his groove in the postseason. The Dodgers won the NL West and earned a bye in the Wild Card round, making the Division Series Shohei’s first playoff action. Through four games he’s slashing .250/.333/.438 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored. He’s worked two walks but has yet to attempt to steal a base.</p><p>With the series knotted up at two games apiece Ohtani and the Dodgers will face off against the Padres in Game 5 on Friday. The winner will face the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shohei Ohtani’s blunt admission amid first postseason appearance

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-dave-roberts-hypes-up-street-fight-game-5-vs-padres');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Dave Roberts hypes up ‘street fight’ Game 5 vs. Padres');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/0Dave-Roberts-hypes-up-street-fight-Game-5-vs.-Padres0.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Dave Roberts hypes up ‘street fight’ Game 5 vs. Padres</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T07:39:03-07:00">October 10th, 7:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T07:39:03-07:00">October 10th, 7:39am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s do-or-die time for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-breaks-franchise-record-set-1965-padres-beatdown">Dodgers blanked the Padres 8-0</a> last night, the NL West rivals are set for a fifth and final game of the NLDS, which Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts is pumped about.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-pitching-plans-do-or-die-game-4-padres">Roberts had to lean on his bullpen</a> for Game 4, a strategy that more than paid off. No Dodgers pitcher lasted two innings or allowed more than two hits yesterday, limiting the Padres to seven hits and no runs to give the NL’s top seed a chance to take the series back to Dodger Stadium.</p><p>While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-tried-to-confuse-padres-with-freddie-freeman-move">Roberts had to be strategic</a> in how he approached the first four games of the series as he tried to balance winning now and hopefully later, the manager <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/10/10/dodgers-vs-padres-game-5-nlds-los-angeles/75584377007/?gnt-cfr=1&amp;gca-cat=p" rel="noopener">said the proverbial gloves can</a> truly come off for Game 5, which very well may be the Dodgers’ final game of the season.</p><p>“I think that when you go through a regular season, a lot of things are sort of calculated and there’s a lot of variables because you’re playing for the longer view,” Robert said [H/T USA Today].”But when you get into the postseason, it’s a street fight. It’s about people, players, and your desire has got to be more than your opponent.”</p><h2><b>Dodgers manager Dave Roberts ‘excited’ for NLDS Game 5</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dave-Roberts-managing-the-Dodgers.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Roberts, who has been the Dodgers’ manager for nearly nine years, said he is ready for the decider.</p><p>“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing’s easy,” Roberts said. “So you just got to take whatever cards you’re dealt and play them. And that’s what we’ve been doing. For me to see our guys go through what they’ve been through, and respond the way they have, really makes me excited about Game 5.”</p><p>The Dodgers won Game 1 in Los Angeles 7-5 before dropping Games 2 and 3, forcing a win-or-go-home Game 4. Game 5 is set for Dodger Stadium at 5:08 p.m. PT.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Dave Roberts hypes up ‘street fight’ Game 5 vs. Padres

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-los-angeles-breaks-franchise-record-set-1965-padres-beatdown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers break franchise record set in 1965 with Padres beatdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Los-Angeles-breaks-franchise-record-set-in-1965-with-Padres-beatdown.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers break franchise record set in 1965 with Padres beatdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T01:35:10-07:00">October 10th, 1:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T01:35:10-07:00">October 10th, 1:35am</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers kept their season alive in their 8-0 beatdown of the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of their NLDS series, forcing a deciding Game 5 on Friday. With their season on the line, the team dug deep and routed their opponents in their best performance in the postseason so far, breaking a franchise record in the process. Moreover, this win gave the Dodgers their largest shutout victory in franchise history, breaking their old 1965 record.</p><p>“The Dodgers’ 8-0 win is the biggest margin of victory in a shutout in their postseason history,” as <a href="https://x.com/DodgerInsider/status/1844241431516557379" rel="noopener">reported</a> by the Dodgers Insider on X, formerly Twitter. “The previous biggest was their 7-0 in Game 5 of the 1965 World Series. Sandy Koufax went the distance in that one. Eight pitchers combined for the shutout tonight.”</p><h2><b>NLDS Game 4: Dodgers def. Padres, series tied 2-2</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-celebrating-a-victory.jpg"><figcaption>© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-ruthless-treatment-padres-fans-game-3">Dodgers manager Dave Roberts</a> talked about their strategy against the Padres to keep their season alive in Game 4 of the NLDS.</p><p>“It’s essentially all hands on deck,” the skipper said after the game, <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/dodgers-padres-nlds-game-four/3531998/" rel="noopener">via a report</a> from Michael Duarte for NBC Los Angeles. “It’s a bullpen game. You can’t be afraid to fail. It’s win or go home and that kind of fight or flight mentality. I think that mentality is the start of it. But, again, you still have to play a good baseball game. So, I feel good just kind of throwing a bunch of arms at these guys [the Padres] today, giving them different looks.”</p><p>Clearly, this strategy worked, as the Dodgers’ bullpen went for nine shutout innings to set a new franchise record. Utility player Enrique Hernandez agreed, as well.</p><p>“The bullpen were the most valuable players of the game. Even though we gave them a lot of runs, they kept us in the lead and they held them down and put us in a good spot now,” he told MLB Network after the game.</p><p>Additionally, the Dodgers’ offense finally woke up after stagnant showings in the first three games. For instance, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-mookie-betts-gets-brutally-honest-on-going-hitless-in-last-22-playoff-at-bats">Mookie Betts was having an 0-22 slump</a> at the plate in the playoffs, but he hit two homers to start the scoring for Games 3 and 4.</p><p>“I think I just need to see one fall and get a little confidence,” he said. “I had to get some positive vibes in me. And my team did it. And I worked hard and finally saw one fall and I think we’re all right now.”</p><h2><b>Overcoming setbacks</b></h2><p>Impressively, the Dodgers survive to play at least one more game despite an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-miguel-rojas-exits-game-3-vs-padres-concerning-injury">injury to Miguel Rojas</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-freddie-freeman-game-4-padres">a late-scratch for Freddie Freeman</a>.</p><p>They had also seemed to move on from the finger-pointing for their blunders in Game 3, such as Freeman hitting Manny Machado in the helmet or Rojas’ decision to try a double play instead of a force out.</p><p>However, all bets are off in Game 5, and the Dodgers will need to bring everything if they want to move on to the NLCS for the first time since 2021.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers break franchise record set in 1965 with Padres beatdown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-ballistic-heated-game-4-padres');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani goes ballistic on umpire in heated Game 4 vs. Padres');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Shohei-Ohtani-goes-ballistic-on-umpire-in-heated-Game-4-vs.jpg"><figcaption>Oct. 9, 2024.</figcaption></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani goes ballistic on umpire in heated Game 4 vs. Padres</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T20:54:07-07:00">October 9th, 8:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T20:54:07-07:00">October 9th, 8:54pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-la-game-4-starter-vs-padres-season-on-line">Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to keep their season alive</a> on Wednesday night in San Diego, and things are looking good. The Dodgers have jumped out to an 8-0 lead against the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the National League Division Series and look well on their way to forcing a decisive Game 5 back in Los Angeles on Friday night.</p><p>Despite the smooth outing so far, not everything has gone the Dodgers’ way. In the fourth inning, it appeared that outfielder Teoscar Hernandez had ripped a base hit down the third base line, and that superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was going to score to put the Dodgers up 6-0. However, the grounder deflected off of Manny Machado’s glove and then ricocheted off of the third base umpire, keeping the ball in the infield.</p><p>Ohtani blew through the stop sign from his third base coach anyway, and Machado was able to collect the loose ball and zip it over to home plate to tag Ohtani out before he scored. It was one of the more bizarre run-preventing plays that you’ll see, and Ohtani was <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1844210764867072304" rel="noopener">heated when watching the replay</a> in the dugout afterwards.</p><p>Ohtani has still had a strong night when his team needed him most, as he’s currently 1-for-3 with a single, an RBI and two walks. The Los Angeles lineup got to Padres starter Dylan Cease early and often, and have had a constant stream of baserunners throughout the night.</p><p>On the bump, the Dodgers desperately miss Ohtani in their rotation, as their lack of starting pitching depth forced them to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-pitching-plans-do-or-die-game-4-padres">go to the bullpen for Game 4</a>. The relievers have done a great job so far, giving up just four hits through seven innings and keeping the Padres off of the scoreboard. Barring a historic collapse down the stretch in this one, Dave Roberts and the Dodgers have earned one more home game to try to keep their season alive.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani goes ballistic on umpire in heated Game 4 vs. Padres

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-los-angeles-freddie-freeman-game-4-padres');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers make big Freddie Freeman move before Game 4 vs. Padres');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Los-Angeles-makes-big-Freddie-Freeman-move-before-Game-4-vs.-Padres.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers make big Freddie Freeman move before Game 4 vs. Padres</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T16:38:47-07:00">October 9th, 4:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T17:01:41-07:00">October 9th, 5:01pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-freddie-freemans-honest-stance-playing-through-ankle-injury-will-fire-up-fans">Freddie Freeman has been battling an ankle injury</a> during the 2024 playoffs, and Dave Roberts’ hand has been forced after his star re-aggravated the injury during Game 3 on Tuesday night.</p><p>After Freeman was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-drops-cryptic-hint-game-4-availability">initially in the Dodgers’ Game 4 lineup</a>, he was <a href="https://x.com/Alden_Gonzalez/status/1844155042670182447" rel="noopener">scratched from the card</a> about two hours before game time, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.</p><p>“Freddie Freeman has been scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup,” Gonzalez reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Chris Taylor is in center field, Max Muncy moves to first base, Kiké Hernández is in at third base.”</p><p>Freeman appeared to re-injure the ankle when he leaped in the air to catch a high throw and landed on the base. He remained in the game at first, but was replaced on the bases by Chris Taylor in the eighth inning after hitting a single.</p><p>The Dodgers have their backs against the wall on Wednesday night after suffering two consecutive losses to their hated division rivals, and they will need all hands on deck both on the mound and at the plate to extend the series to a Game 5. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-pitching-plans-do-or-die-game-4-padres">Dodgers are throwing a bullpen game in Game 4</a>, according to Roberts, starting with Ryan Brasier.</p><p>Freeman figures to be an option off the bench for Roberts if the Dodgers are in need of a bat at any point, and the first baseman showed that he can still swing it despite his injury with his late base hit in Game 3. Freeman’s numbers are down from his normal elite levels, but he still put together a good season, batting .282 with 22 home runs and 89 RBI’s in 137 games. However, any pitcher would fear Freeman coming out of the dugout as a pinch hitter in a key situation.</p><p>The Dodgers must find a heroic moment from someone if they want to even the series against the Padres, who have been red hot this October. Maybe Freeman is that guy off the bench in Game 4.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers make big Freddie Freeman move before Game 4 vs. Padres

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-la-game-4-starter-vs-padres-season-on-line');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers name Game 4 starter vs. Padres amid flurry of lineup changes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LA-names-Game-4-starter-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers name Game 4 starter vs. Padres amid flurry of lineup changes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T14:28:02-07:00">October 9th, 2:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T15:17:47-07:00">October 9th, 3:17pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-miguel-rojas-worrying-injury-update-game-4-vs-padres">Los Angeles Dodgers’ injuries</a> have piled up, which could prove fatal to its championship hopes. The club is hurting on both sides of the ball ahead of its road tilt with the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-vs-padres-nlds-game-4-prediction-odds-pick-2024"> San Diego Padres in Game 4</a> of the NLDS on Wednesday night.</p><p>The Dodgers <a href="https://x.com/sdutSanders/status/1844122351753101679" rel="noopener">will start relief pitcher</a> Ryan Brasier against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night, via the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders.</p><p>The right-hander has a 3.54 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 29 appearances this season, including four starts. Brasier will be the opener for Los Angeles’ bullpen, as much of its pitching staff is on the injured list. The names include prominent starters like Gavin Stone, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin.</p><p>The club is <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1844128487017484421" rel="noopener">also changing its lineup,</a> via USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.</p><p>“The Dodgers are starting Tommy Edman at shortstop tonight and Enrique Hernandez is the starting center fielder,” Nightengale reported.</p><p>Miguel Rojas, who regularly starts at shortstop, aggravated an abductor injury in Tuesday’s loss. Edman played center field in the first three games, while Hernandez only played in Game 2, going 0-for-2 in the 10-2 loss.</p><p>Rojas is 2-for-8 in the series and hit .283 with six homers and 36 RBI while sporting a .748 OPS in 103 regular season games. Edman hit just .237 this year, but is 3-for-10 with a run and two stolen bases in the NLDS. Lastly, Hernandez hit .229 with a .654 OPS in addition to 12 homers and 42 RBI over 126 regular season contests.</p><p>Will Los Angeles survive its litany of injuries?</p><h2><b>Dodgers are on the back foot against Padres</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Freddie-Freeman-with-LA-Dodgers.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Although Los Angeles has a star-studded squad, there’s only so many injuries that one team can overcome. In addition to Rojas and the pitching staff, star first baseman Freddie Freeman is playing through an ankle sprain, compromising his mobility. The former Atlanta Brave is still 3-for-11 in the series, but he’s hanging on by a thread.</p><p>Additionally, it’ll be difficult to win two consecutive games against the Padres with a compromised pitching staff. Fernando Tatis Jr. is red-hot, and San Diego has the momentum.</p><p>This may be a case where Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez need to carry the team to victory in the face of elimination.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers name Game 4 starter vs. Padres amid flurry of lineup changes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-jump-yankees-world-series-favorite-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres jump Yankees as World Series betting favorite ahead of Game 4 vs. Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-09-24-padres-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>Padres jump Yankees as World Series betting favorite ahead of Game 4 vs. Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T13:14:13-07:00">October 9th, 1:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T13:14:46-07:00">October 9th, 1:14pm</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres had a massive 6-5 victory over the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-beautiful-reaction-to-huge-game-3-win-vs-dodgers">Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS</a> on Tuesday. That win not only put the Padres up 2-1 in the NLDS over the Dodgers, but it made a significant impact on their World Series chances.</p><p>The Padres <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb?tab=world-series" rel="noopener">have jumped</a> the New York Yankees as betting favorites to win the World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. On Sunday, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-world-series-betting-favorite-dodgers">Yankees became the first team to overtake the Dodgers as World Series favorites</a> all season. But, their spot at the top clearly did not last long.</p><p>The Padres’ odds are +270, followed by the Yankees at +320, the New York Mets at +550, the Philadelphia Phillies at +750, the Dodgers at +900, the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers at +1000 and the Kansas City Royals at +1100.</p><p>It is not necessarily surprising that the Padres have the best odds following their Game 3 win on Tuesday that gave them a 2-1 series lead. However, what is a shock is how close the Dodgers are to being knocked out of the postseason after being World Series favorites for the entire regular season and the majority of the postseason so far.</p><h2><b>How the San Diego Padres have gone up 2-1 on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-09-24-tatis-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Padres used a six-run second inning that included a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-draws-david-ortiz-comparison-from-xander-bogaerts-after-game-3-heroics">two-run home run from right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.</a>, his fourth of the postseason, to beat the Dodgers 6-5 and take a surprising 2-1 lead in the NLDS. Despite giving up a grand slam to outfielder Teoscar Hernandez in the third inning, the Padres’ bullpen as able to hold on and keep the 6-5 lead with four scoreless one-hit innings.</p><p>Featuring arguably the best starting rotation left in the postseason with Michael King, Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish along with a lineup that is absolutely on fire, the Padres have shown that they absolutely deserve to not just be considered World Series contenders, but World Series favorites.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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