In the San Diego Padres’ first home playoff game with fans since 2006, the hosts thrilled as the Padres defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1. Victory in Game 3 of the National League Division Series gave the Padres a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. That means the Padres are one win away from eliminating the Dodgers, who have won a franchise-record 111 regular-season games.
Padres starter Blake Snell cleared 5 1/3 innings of a one-run ball and the San Diego bullpen kept putting zeros on the board. On offense, Trent Grisham hit his third home run of the 2022 postseason.
The winner of that series advances to the NLCS and meets the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies-Atlanta Braves NLDS.
Now for takeaway from Game 3.
Tony Gonsolin didn’t have much to give the Dodgers
Gonsolin missed the track by more than a month thanks to a forearm injury, returning just in time to make an abbreviated start against the Rockies on October 3. He wasn’t himself in Game 3 on Friday night. Command was badly lacking, and Gonsolin’s fastball speed was a tad or so slower (just like he did against Colorado his last start). He endured a first inning with 31 pitches, and Dave Roberts was moved to warm up Andrew Heaney in that first frame. Things could have been worse in the second, but Gonsolin escaped disaster, thanks in part to a failed attempt by Jurickson Profar Bunt.
Roberts had planned a leash of about 75 pitches for Gonsolin in Game 3, but he was only able to last 42 pitches and 1 1/3 innings. During that span, he allowed a run to four hits with a strikeout and a walk. In the first two games of that series, the Dodgers chose eight relief appearances and eight innings of relief. Even with the day off before Game 3 and the first-round bye, the LA pen is racking up some miles lately. This trend continued on Friday.
The Padres’ bullpen was nails
In the first two games of this series, the San Diego bullpen set up these digits: 9 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 9 SO, 4 BB. Then, in the deciding Game 3, the same Pen was tasked with defending a one-run lead for 11 outs – including Nick Martinez in the sixth, inheriting a runner in goal position with an out. Once again, the San Diego Relief Corps rose to the challenge and did so against one of the best offenses in MLB. Now for these updated numbers for the NLDS: 13 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 15 SO, 4 BB.
Trent Grisham continued his postseason fireworks
Pads midfielder and No. 8 hitter Trent Grisham endured a pretty rough regular season at the plate, but he was very upset with the Mets in the Wild Card Series as he homed twice in three games. In the first two games of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Grisham didn’t do much, but he rediscovered his first-round power strike in the fourth inning of Game 3:
This one by Andrew Heaney left the bat at 109.8 mph and covered 389 feet. That third home run of the 2022 postseason – with just six games played – propelled Grisham into elite franchise society:
He has at least two more games to match or break Jim Leyritz’s record. Most importantly, without Grisham’s electrocution in October, the Padres probably wouldn’t be in their current situation.
The Dodgers struggled again with runners in goal position
The Dodgers went empty-handed for a second straight game in RISP situations Friday night. In Game 3 they went 0 for 9 with RISP, and that means they are now 0 for their last 19 in places like that. Suffice it to say that the Dodgers are a few contemporary hits away from this series being very different.
History favors the Padres
Unsurprisingly, the Padres are in a good position in a best-of-five series at 2-1. In the history of the best-of-five League Division Series, a team has held a 2-1 lead in the series 67 times, and 49 of those teams that led 2-1 won the series. Put another way, only 26.9 percent of teams that trailed 2-1 in the LDS came back to win said LDS.
For the Dodgers, the first step in defying the odds and history comes in Saturday’s Game 4. Tyler Anderson is taking on Joe Musgrove for LA, and the first pitch is at 9:07 p.m. ET at Petco Park in San Diego scheduled.