Padres Hand-cuff Dodgers after HRs set stage

August 12th, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- slugged two game-tying home runs, led off the eighth inning with a tiebreaking homer off and Brad Hand set down L.A.'s Nos. 1-4 hitters for a four-out save as the Padres surprised the Dodgers with a 4-3 win Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers, with the best record in baseball, got three hits and two RBI singles from rookie sensation (who will wear the nickname Codylove on his jersey for Players Weekend) and a clutch RBI double from for a 3-2 lead after five innings. Bellinger has 78 RBIs in 95 games and 11 in his last 12 games.
But Stripling (1-4), who took over after Rich Hill went six innings with nine strikeouts, allowed Margot's second homer with two out in the seventh and Pirela's game-winner in the eighth. Margot has 12 homers and seven in his last 18 games. Pirela, meanwhile, has eight homers, four in his last eight games. And there's no question which is his favorite.
"This has to be No. 1," Pirela said through a team interpreter. "You have to live in the present, and it was a decisive home run against a really good team."
Padres starter , who hit Hill with a pitch in the neck when he squared to bunt in the fourth inning, battled through six innings for a no-decision. Hill was taken to a hospital, where X-rays were negative, the club reported.
Hill evades injury after taking pitch to throat

Richard is winless in his last 10 starts. Reliever (6-3) was credited with the victory.
"A really, really elite guy," manager Dave Roberts said of Hand, whom the Dodgers attempted to acquire before the non-waiver Trade Deadline. "He's tough. We had our opportunities. But at home for us, being behind, we expect to win."
It was quite the bounceback effort from Hand, who had his two-month-long scoreless streak snapped on Scooter Gennett's grand slam Thursday in Cincinnati. Hand mowed through Chris Taylor, and before punching out Bellinger to end the game.
"He's incredibly resilient," said Padres skipper Andy Green. "That's as tough a four-guy stretch as you're going to have to navigate through at any point in the season. I wouldn't say he did it with ease, but he did it with a lot of poise and confidence"

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Dare you: has only four outfield assists this year, which doesn't even rank in the top 10 in the Majors, because most teams simply won't run on him. The Padres tried and found out why, as Puig threw out at the plate trying to score from second on 's bases-loaded single with two out in the third inning. Statcast™ clocked Puig's throw at 96.2 mph at a distance of 270 feet.
"He's a Gold Glove right fielder," said Roberts. "The plays he makes with his arm, the plays he makes with his glove and the many plays he makes to deter a baserunner from advancing."
Puig nails Renfroe with 96-mph frozen rope

Taxed Bullpen: Dodgers closer was unavailable after pitching in three of the previous four games, Roberts said. With Jansen and four other relievers used Thursday night, when starter lasted only five innings, Roberts went with Stripling to pitch the seventh and eighth innings, and the Padres turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead against the long reliever.
"When I let go of both pitches I thought they were safe. I thought there wasn't going to be any damage. Surprising, to say the least," Stripling said. "It stinks. As this long guy, I don't get put into high-pressure situations very often, so you want to take advantage of them so you get more of them and then you mess one up."
Margot belts two game-tying homers

QUOTABLE
"I thought he was crazy." -- Bellinger, on seeing Hill pop up and jog to first after being hit with a pitch on the throat
"These games are the fun ones, where it's close, it's back-and-forth. They test you a little bit, make sure you're resilient through adversity." -- Richard
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Dodgers are playing .770 ball at home, but have lost the opener of their last two homestands.
Pirela's decisive blast left his bat at 110 mph, according to Statcast™. It tied his his hardest-hit home run since Statcast™ was introduced in 2015.
WHAT'S NEXT
Padres: will start against the Dodgers on Saturday, with first pitch slated for 6:10 p.m. PT. The veteran right-hander was tagged for a career-high nine runs in Los Angeles on Opening Day. Since then, however, he's limited the Dodgers to a run in 10 1/3 frames over two starts.
Dodgers:, who gets the call for L.A. on Saturday, is coming off his best start in years -- seven scoreless innings and one hit allowed to the Mets at Citi Field. He has a 2.08 ERA in his last six starts and is 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA against San Diego.
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