The Los Angeles Dodgers are one game away from elimination after the San Diego Padres' bullpen stifled them down the stretch of Game 3 in San Diego. The bullpen didn't allow a run after the third inning as the Padres held on for the 6-5 victory to take a 2-1 series lead.
Losing Game 3 in a tied playoff series is never a great time for a silver lining, but if there was one for the Dodgers, it was that star outfielder Mookie Betts broke out of his hitting slump. Betts hit a home run in the first inning and then knocked a single in the third, later scoring on Teoscar Hernandez's grand slam.
Despite the individual success, Betts was in no mood to talk about himself after the loss, according to Dodgers Nation on X, formerly Twitter.
“We lost, there are no personal goals out there right now,” Betts said after the game.
When asked about his home run, Betts still wasn't pleased.
“It was cool, losing sucks it really kind of doesn’t matter,” Betts said.
The Dodgers' backs are now against the wall as they sit one game away from another disappointing October elimination. They will have to win the next two games, including Game 4 on Wednesday in front of a hostile Petco Park crowd, in order to stay alive. According to Betts, the Dodgers don't need any extra motivation to go out and win.
“We just gotta keep playing, World Series (is the motivation). I don’t think there’s a magic potion,” Betts stated matter-of-factly.
Dodgers leaning on bullpen in Game 4 vs. Padres
Starting pitching has been the Achilles heel of this Dodgers team in 2024, partly due to injuries depleting their depth of arms. The starters have hurt them in this series as well, as they have yet to get a quality start through three games.
Walker Buehler struggled in Game 3, giving up six runs in the second inning and surrendering a lead that the Dodgers offense would never win back. In Game 4, Dave Roberts is going away from the starting pitchers completely. Roberts announced after Tuesday's loss that Game 4 will be a bullpen game for the Dodgers as they look to get the series back to Los Angeles for Game 5.
It will be a team effort for the Dodgers bullpen to slow down a Padres lineup that has been red-hot. San Diego has scored 21 runs in just three games, and their stars are seeing a big ball. Fernando Tatis Jr. is having one of the best postseasons ever with nine hits and three home runs in 14 at-bats. Rookie of the Year candidate Jackson Merrill is 6-for-14 with a home run, and catcher Kyle Higashioka has hit three home runs in these playoffs as well.
The Dodgers have confidence that they can lean on their bullpen, and with the way their starting pitchers have been throwing, maybe going straight to the bullpen won't be such a bad thing. Regardless, the goal now is very simple: win two games, or go home.