SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers held a lead for a mere half-inning, but after one good swing from Ty France off Roki Sasaki in the bottom of the second, Friday night's game was out of their hands.
It wasn't so much France's home run that sank the Dodgers as they fell to the Padres, 7-1. It was the two walks that preceded it, and the five overall free passes issued by Sasaki, that led to their undoing in the series opener at Petco Park.
The three runs in the second inning represented the only damage Sasaki allowed across four-plus innings, marking the first time since April 12 -- his third start of the season -- that he did not record an out beyond the fourth. He struck out two, allowed three hits and matched his career high by issuing five walks for the third time as a big leaguer.
Sasaki wasn't the only member of the Dodgers to falter under the bright lights of the Los Angeles-San Diego rivalry. His offense struggled to solve old friend Walker Buehler, who gave up a solo homer to Mookie Betts in the top of the second but otherwise limited the damage across 5 1/3 innings.
In Sasaki's first career appearance against the Padres, he showed some of the wildness that was prevalent early on this season. He walked three of the first five batters he faced. In the first inning, Samad Taylor was erased on a double play. But in the second, Manny Machado and Gavin Sheets were aboard when France went yard.
Sasaki went ahead 0-2 on France and went below the zone with his slider. France went down and got it, driving the ball into the seats in left field. It may have been a piece of good hitting, but the damage could have been lesser had Sasaki not given up the free passes.
From that point on, Sasaki did not allow another run, although his pitch count rose quickly after he navigated through traffic in the fourth and fifth innings. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, and he left two runners on with nobody out in the fifth, with Jack Dreyer stranding both.