Padres' bullpen outperforming its LA counterpart

LOS ANGELES -- On paper, at least, the Dodgers seemed to have a clear advantage over the Padres when it came to their bullpens.

Even after leaving erstwhile closer Craig Kimbrel off their National League Division Series roster, the Dodgers boasted a deep group of relievers that finished the regular season with the second-lowest ERA (2.87) in the Majors, trailing only the Astros.

The Padres’ relief corps, meanwhile, finished in the middle of the pack (3.83 ERA), with prized Trade Deadline acquisition Josh Hader enduring a rocky transition to San Diego after coming over in a blockbuster deal with the Brewers.

But Hader and the rest of the Padres’ bullpen appear to be peaking at the right time.

Hader converted his first four-out save in two years to close out a tense 5-3 victory over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, evening the best-of-five series at one game apiece.

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Hader hadn’t pitched multiple innings since Aug. 14, 2020, but he was brought in to protect the Padres’ two-run lead after Gavin Lux reached on a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth. Hader walked Trayce Thompson to bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate for the Dodgers, but Hader escaped the jam by coaxing a flyout from pinch-hitter Austin Barnes to end the inning.

“He looked like he wanted it when he came in,” catcher Austin Nola said. “He was ready. He came in and attacked right out of the gate, got the fly ball. He was consistent in his misses and his location. That’s big for him, when he’s consistent with where he’s going.”

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Hader returned to the mound in the ninth, though he was tested again after surrendering a two-out double to Freddie Freeman. Still, the four-time All-Star shut the door by getting Will Smith to fly out to end the game, becoming the first Padres reliever to record a four-out save in the postseason since Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman in Game 3 of the 1998 NL Championship Series.

“He is ready to play,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “He didn't do it during the regular season. Kept his workload at a minimum. He saved those type of things for the postseason. He was all for it. He knew that any runner on and two out, he was going to be coming in for four outs, and he did what we expected him to do.”

Hader capped yet another dominant performance from the Padres’ bullpen, which has allowed only four hits over 9 1/3 scoreless innings over the first two games of this series. After delivering 5 1/3 hitless innings in Game 1 on Tuesday night, the unit continued to stymie the Dodgers on Wednesday, with Robert Suarez, Nick Martinez and Hader combining for four more shutout innings behind starter Yu Darvish.

The relief corps at one point recorded 31 consecutive outs, dating to the Wild Card Series against the Mets, before Cody Bellinger snapped the streak with a one-out single off Suarez in the seventh.

“Amazing job,” Nola said. “They’re coming in and attacking hitters, getting ahead, throwing their breaking balls and their offspeed for chase and for strikes. They were able to pitch in, as well. That’s a recipe for a bullpen that’s lights out.”

Suarez found a way to work out of two of the biggest jams of the night for the Padres, as he was summoned to relieve Darvish with runners on the corners and no outs in the bottom of the sixth. Despite his limited postseason experience, the 31-year-old rookie stayed composed, striking out Justin Turner on a nasty 101 mph sinker before getting Lux to bounce into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play, keeping San Diego’s slim 4-3 lead intact.

“In that situation, my mindset is just to not give up any runs,” Suarez said in Spanish. “That’s my focus.”

Suarez was forced to walk yet another tightrope in the seventh, when Bellinger singled and advanced to third on a double by Mookie Betts that bounced just under the glove of a diving Trent Grisham in center field. Grisham got a great jump on the ball (11.5 feet better than average), but he couldn’t come up with Betts’ drive, which had a catch probability of only 5 percent, according to Statcast.

Still, Suarez escaped with the help of another timely play from his defense, as third baseman Manny Machado snagged a grounder to the left side from Trea Turner and kept Bellinger at third before throwing to first for the out. The Padres then intentionally walked Freeman to load the bases, before Suarez ended the inning by inducing a lineout from Smith.

“As the season’s gone on, I’ve gained more and more confidence,” Suarez said. “Hopefully, it stays like that. The last few outings, I’ve had some success. Hopefully, I can keep that up.”

Suarez, a journeyman who spent five seasons pitching in Japan before finally earning his first shot in the Majors with San Diego this year, emerged as the latest unlikely hero to thrive on the biggest stage for the Padres, who will now head back home to play their first playoff game before fans at Petco Park in 16 years on Friday night.

“The silent assassin over there, man,” right-hander Joe Musgrove said. “The guy doesn't really talk, he's super quiet, he's always very stoic. But he's a competitor, man. You can see it when he's on the mound.”