The anticipation was high at Petco Park in San Diego as The Padres and The Dodgers squared off for the first time this season. No one will ever mistake this one as a pitchers’ duel. At the end of the first three innings the teams combined for eleven runs.
Before the third inning was over, the Padres held a 6-5 lead over their National League West Rivals.
Shohei Ohtani opened the game with a lead off double and would score when Freddie Freeman doubled him in. Matching that, Manny Machado had an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.
Dodger catcher Will Smith homered in the third inning. The two-run blast put the Dodgers up 5-3.
San Diego pitcher Nick Pivetta gave up five runs and eight hits over just four innings while the Dodgers Dustin May gave up six hits and four walks over five innings for the Dodgers.
Padre Tyler Wade answered with a triple in the bottom of the third that drove in three runs. The Padres jumped back into the lead, 6-5.
Hyeseong Kim doubled and knocked in a run in the top of the fifth tying the score at 6-6.
The game would remain deadlocked through nine and went to extra innings. That is when Andy Pages and Tommy Edman both drove in runs giving the Dodgers an 8-6 lead.
The Padres score a run on a Jackson Merrill double in the bottom of the tenth, but that was all San Diego could bring across home plate. A questionable strikeout call on Manny Macahdo will leave a sour taste in the Padres mouth. But they will have two more chances this week to try to exact some revenge.
The Dodgers took the first game of the three-game series 8-7 and take a two game lead over the Friars in the National League West.
Kirby Yates picked up the win while Tanner Scott got the save.
Wandy Peralta suffered the loss.
By William Trillo
