The Padres came thisclose to taking the series from the Dodgers at Petco Park Sunday, but closer Josh Hader faltered for the first time this season and L.A. won 5-2 in extra innings.
The closer suffered his first blown save of the year when Mookie Betts made up for an earlier misadventure in the outfield with a solo home run to tie the game 2-2 with two outs in the ninth.
Reliever Brent Honeywell seemed to have things under control in the 10th, getting a quick two outs. But then the Dodgers pounced. Michael Busch lined a single to left to score Freddie Freeman, who started the inning at second base. James Outman followed with a homer to right for the three-run lead.
Though the Padres had the trio they wanted at the plate in the bottom of the inning, Evan Phillips retired Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Juan Soto to end the game.
The Friars led the whole game, after taking it to Dodger starter Julio Urías immediately, due in part to some unsteady L.A. glove work.
They scored two runs in the first inning on three doubles, one by Tatis – Outman dove for the ball, but couldn’t hold on – then another by Machado, to drive him in.
The third, by Xander Bogaerts – scored perhaps generously as Betts appeared to drop the ball– sent Machado home.
Joe Musgrove, meanwhile, held L.A. hitless through four, though he issued three walks. He kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard until the sixth, when the Padres had their own trouble in the outfield.
Soto muffed a ball off the bat of Freeman, who ended up on second. Will Smith followed with a double to make it 2-1 Padres, and that was enough for manager Bob Melvin, who pulled his starter.
Urías settled in, but left in the sixth as well. With the bullpens keeping the batters in check, the evening appeared to mirror Saturday’s contest, which the Padres dropped to the Dodgers 2-1. But Hader couldn’t hold on.
The Padres have Monday off ahead of a six-game road trip. First up: a three-game series in Minnesota. Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Yu Darvish are set to take the mound. The team ends the trip in Los Angeles for more of the Dodgers.