Category: Sports News

ATLANTA — Huascar Brazobán’s worst performance of the season threatened to send the Mets to a doozy of a loss Sunday.

That was before Devin Williams recorded the final two outs in the ninth inning and the Mets escaped with a 10-9 victory over the Braves.

Brazobán, who began the day with a 1.94 ERA, was working with a seven-run lead as he began the final frame. He departed after allowing five earned runs, including a Drake Baldwin grand slam.

It’s possible that rust — Brazobán was working for the first time in eight days — played a factor.

“There’s waves of usage throughout the season, so guys get used a ton,” interim manager Andy Green said, referring to Brazobán’s 36 appearances.

“He has been used a ton, and then you have stretches where your situation doesn’t arise. He’s a guy that has been ridden all year. He had a gap in the number of times he’s been on the mound. He can handle all that. He’s that type of a pitcher.”

Brazobán allowed four hits and a walk in the ninth. He also committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt that allowed Mauricio Dubón to score. Baldwin’s grand slam was the first homer allowed by Brazobán since June 2.

“He’s been unbelievable for us all year,” Green said. “His ERA is at [3.00] after what just happened; that just tells you how good he’s been for us all year, and it wasn’t his day out there.”

Williams entered with the Mets ahead 10-8 and struck out Ozzie Albies for the second out. But Matt Olson doubled and Michael Harris II followed with an RBI single. Dubón’s ensuing single — he took second on the throw — put the tying run at third and the winning run at second. Williams then struck out Dominic Smith to end it.

The Mets received shutdown appearances earlier from Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver, each of whom pitched a scoreless frame. Weaver extended his scoreless streak to 25 innings since May 1.

“There’s a lot of good things to take out of this baseball game,” Green said. “We’re going to take the good out of it.”

It’s another West Coast late start, and I want to go to bed. Unfortunately, I’m bound to my duties as the Sunday recap guy, so we’re going to do another live blog so I can push publish as soon as this bad boy wraps up. Join me for the next three or so hours as I live-react to the Red Sox, the World Cup, and whatever else is going on in Jake-land on this Sunday evening.

8:53 PM: One of my roommates recently moved out, and his room was much bigger than mine, so I moved in today. The only problem is, my dog is terrified of the beeping noise an air conditioner makes, and every time my roommate would walk in here, he would turn on the AC or a space heater, and my dog would run. Now, she doesn’t want to come into this room even though there’s no AC unit set up. The point is, I’m doing this from my new room for the first time, which is exciting for me because I could pretty much touch all four walls at the same time in my old room.

8:56 PM: My neighbors gave me a Rice Krispie treat that may or may not be infused with other ingredients. I’m not normally one to eat special Rice Krispie treats, but tonight feels like it would make for a fun recap.

8:59 PM: My girlfriend said it was a bad idea.

9:04 PM: I shared this document with her, and she told me I should add that she’s always right. She’s not, but I’m telling her that I’m adding it.

9:15 PM: Just learned that Connelly Early is getting a second opinion. You only get a second opinion if you don’t like the first opinion. Gulp.

9:19 PM: It’s going to be very hard for me to flip over to the Red Sox from the World Cup game at 9:30. There’s nothing I’d like to watch more than Mexico get the boot at their home stadium where they never lose.

9:30 PM: Screw it, soccer is staying on the big screen.

9:32 PM: Is my Peacock playing tricks on me or is this game actually starting even later than advertised?

9;36 PM: GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Suck it, Mexico.

9:36 PM: What is Ryan Johnson doing? How is he throwing 92 mph like that? What a weirdo.

9:37 PM: GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Dos a cero.

9:38 PM: Lots of sports going on, Wilyer Abreu spoils an immaculate inning with an 0-2 foul ball on the ninth pitch of the inning.

9:41 PM: Johnson strikes out the side in the top of the first after a 12-pitch battle with Abreu. Mexico has a free kick in a dangerous position and pulls one back to make it 2-1. Great finish.

9:45 PM: Back-to-back bloop singles give the Angels runners at first and third with nobody out.

9:48 PM: Ranger Suarez strikes out Vaughn Grissom with a curveball for the first out, but Caleb Durbin can’t get a handle on a ground ball to third, and the Angels get a run. 1-0, Angels as Mexico has opportunity after opportunity in front of the England net. What a game.

9:51 PM: Jo Adell singles to center and Ceddanne Rafaela bobbles it twice. Some rough fielding early from the Red Sox put them behind, 2-0.

10:02 PM: Jarren Duran CRUSHES a ball to center field to tie the game. 422 feet. 2-2.

10:03 PM: I really think lefties should be able to hit this guy. He can’t really come inside to lefties, so half the plate is basically eliminated. The second time through the order will be telling.

10:08 PM: The Red Sox thought they turned a 3-6-1 double play, but the Angels challenge, and the call is rightfully reversed. England has a hard time playing out from the back through Mexico’s press. If they can break through, Harry Kane will likely have a chance to make a line-breaking pass. That’s the kind of soccer analysis you don’t get on most baseball blogs.

10:11 PM: Suarez hangs a curveball, and Zack Neto doubles in a run. 3-2, Angels. England has a shot go off the post.

10:14 PM: It’s been 45 minutes, and we’re through two innings. Scorching pace here in Anaheim.

10:15 PM: The referee has been called to the monitor for a possible red card. I think it’s harsh, personally, but when they’re called to the monitor, the call is rarely ever upheld. It’s a red for Jarell Quansah — England will now play with 10 men for 40 minutes.

10:17 PM: Tsung-Che Cheng with a beautiful bunt for a single to begin the inning.

10:20 PM: Great header by Harry Kane to play Anthony Gordon in, who draws the penalty. The Mexican players can’t believe the call, because they’ve never believed they’ve committed a foul in their lives. I hate the Mexican national team, if you can’t tell.

10:21 PM: Zack Neto boots a ground ball at shortstop to give the Red Sox two runners on with two outs.

10:22 PM: Willson Contreras makes them pay for that error by putting the first pitch he sees in the left field seats. 5-3, Red Sox. Harry Kane buries the penalty. 3-1, England.

10:29 PM: We’ve got another VAR check. This time, Mexico looks like they’re going to be awarded a penalty. Jarren Duran strikes out with two runners on, but the Red Sox get three runs in the inning to regain the lead.

10:31 PM: Raul Jimenez converts the penalty. 3-2, England.

10:35 PM: Jo Adell gets an infield single with two outs. That’s the issue with pitching to contact.

10:36 PM: Oh god, Suarez is talking to the trainer and exiting the game. There really is no such thing as too much pitching. We’re gonna be here all night.

10:39 PM: It’s Greg Weissert on in the bottom of the third in place of Suarez.

10:41 PM: He gets the first guy to pop out, and we’re through three innings with the Red Sox leading, 5-3.

10:51 PM: Ceddanne Rafaela is locked in a battle with Johnson and started walking to first base on the 10th pitch of the at-bat. Unfortunately, it was only ball three. He struck out on the next pitch, though he should have challenged the strike three call.

10:53 PM: 11 minutes of added time with England leading by a goal. That’s a lot of added time. England took Harry Kane off for some reason. I’m not sure they know there’s an additional 30 minutes should they concede.

10:59 PM: Greg Weissert retires the Angels in order in the fourth.

11:00 PM: England is defending for their lives, and Mexico is screaming at the referee any time something doesn’t go their way. Three minutes to go.

11:03 PM: I didn’t even notice Jose Fermin took over for Johnson, but he’s got two quick outs in the fifth.

11:05 PM: ENGLAND WINS. SEE YA MEXICO. What a game.

11:08 PM: Tyron Guerrero on in relief of Weissert here in the fifth.

11:10 PM: It was weed in the Rice Krispie treat. I didn’t eat it. I don’t think I would have been able to comprehend both a soccer and baseball game at once if I had, so I’m happy with that decision. Don’t tell my girlfriend that she was right.

11:11 PM: I made a wish, but I will not tell you guys what it was, so don’t even bother asking.

11:15 PM: Guerrero works a scoreless inning. 5-3, Red Sox after five.

11:17 PM: I went to get water, and my dog took the treat bribes I left while I was gone. Apparently she’s not scared of the room but doesn’t want me to know that.

11:19 PM: It’s left adductor tightness for Suarez. If he misses time, Sonny Gray will be the only starting pitcher from the opening day rotation on the active roster.

11:22 PM: Weird play in the sixth. Denzer Guzman bobbled the ball at third, Zack Neto caught it and threw to first to get Carlos Narvaez. In the process, Jarren Duran tried to go first to third and appeared to be caught, but Jose Peraza was called for interference at second base. That all nets to a runner on third with two outs for Cheng.

11:25 PM: Cheng strikes out to end the inning.

11:29 PM: Guerrero quickly gets the Angels to go down, 1-2-3.

11:33 PM: Dave O’Brien is talking about soccer. What kind of lunatic would talk about soccer in baseball content?

11:37 PM: Anthony Seigler and Ceddanne Rafaela with a double steal of second and third. Wilyer Abreu does a good job recognizing the huge jumps and takes the pitch to allow them to advance. Good baseball there.

11:39 PM: Abreu can’t get all the way around the ball, but he muscles it out to center field, and Seigler is able to tag up from third and score. 6-3, Red Sox.

11:39 PM: Willson Contreras almost got hit by a pitch. He did not try to fight anyone. Chants of “sell the team” coming from the outfield.

11:43 PM: Yoshida goes the other way for his third hit of the night. 7-3, Red Sox.

11:46 PM: Durbin strikes out, and the Angels go to a lefty with two outs in the seventh.

11:50 PM: Jarren Duran beats out a broken-bat infield single swinging bunt thing. That was cool.

11:54 PM: Carlos Narvaez strikes out with the bases loaded to end the threat.

11:58 PM: It’s Garrett Whitlock for the bottom of the seventh. I am so tired.

12:01 AM: Happy Monday. Garrett Whitlock got three guys out very quickly. Thanks, Garrett.

12:02 AM: If you read this whole thing, you’re insane, and I appreciate you.

12:06 AM: The Red Sox go quickly in the top of the eighth. Eighth is a weird word to spell. That’s five consonants in a row. I can’t think of many words that have that. In fact, I can’t think of a single other word with five consonants in a row, but I’m far from operating at maximum brain capacity.

12:08 AM: Justin Slaten for the bottom half of the hard-to-spell inning.

12:09 AM: Willson Contreras chased a ball into foul territory and had a nice moment with a Red Sox fan sitting in the front row. Maybe he’s not so scary after all.

12:13 AM: Donovan Walton, whom I have never heard of before today, gets a pinch-hit double with two outs.

12:15 AM: Jo Adell hits a sweeper off the plate down the line; Walton scores. 7-4, Red Sox as Aroldis Chapman begins to stir in the bullpen.

12:16 AM: Wade Meckler, whom I have also not heard of, is now pitching hitting.

12:17 AM: Meckler strikes out to end the inning.

12:22 AM: Went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, et cetera, and came back to two outs in the top of the ninth.

12:24 AM: Here comes Chapman to try to shut the door on the series.

12:27 AM: Caleb Durbin makes a diving stop and throws to first for the out. Willson Contreras stretches and maybe comes off the base, though. I think he held it, but the Angels are challenging.

12:28 AM: Call stands. One down.

12:30 AM: Chapman strikes out Lowe. Two down.

12:31 AM: Zack Neto homers. 7-5, Red Sox.

12:33 AM: Red Sox win! For those of you counting at home, that’s 8 of the last 10. Day off tomorrow before moving on to Chicago to play the White Sox. We couldn’t possibly make a run, could we? I don’t know. But I do know that I’m going to bed. Once again, if you read this whole thing, I appreciate you. It’s 2,000 words of nonsense. Well, actually, it’s 1972 words of nonsense right now. But the official word count really isn’t important, especially because it counts all of my timestamps that aren’t original content. Now it’s 2,000. Goodnight to all.

The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak is ready for it — just not now.

As Mozeliak appeared on MLB Network Radio on Sunday afternoon, he said the Angels aren’t too focused on the trade deadline and are more focused on the MLB draft.

“I have not had any real substantial conversations with clubs … other than what they might be looking for, no names have been exchanged. Nothing like that,” Mozeliak said. “Most of the general managers that have reached out to me over the last week it’s mostly been via text.”

While Mozeliak said no names have been exchanged, he said once the draft concludes, he expects to hear more from fellow GMs about potential trades.

“In that time we’ll also have a better understanding of where we are, of how we think of this roster and what the market may bear for that,” Mozeliak said. “Because I think that’s the most important part. Obviously, anybody can trade anyone, but it doesn’t really make sense if it’s something that’s not going to have long-term value or change some internal dynamic.”

The Angels are one of MLB’s most intriguing teams at the deadline because they have multiple players they could sell, including Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers and Jo Adell.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently said the Angels have enough power to control the MLB trade deadline.

In the past, the Angels have been reluctant to be sellers when the deadline approached because they have held on to prospects for far too long, including in 2023 when former GM Perry Minasian had the chance to trade Shohei Ohtani before he signed with the Dodgers in the offseason.

Of course, owner Arte Moreno got in the way of the Angels dealing Ohtani, despite multiple teams having interest in him.

With Mozeliak now taking over as interim GM, he’s been vocal about the Angels needing to change the way they operate.

“My overall take right now is this club is not where we need it to be. We’re not winning baseball games; we’re finding ways to lose instead of win. That can be frustrating for our fans. It can be frustrating for the people that are here every day and for the players,” Mozeliak said. “So we know something has to be done differently.”

It was a tough week for Ryan Weathers.

After recording just five outs Monday — and at some point being afflicted by a teamwide stomach bug or bout of food poisoning — Weathers had another short start in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Twins as he was yanked after four-plus 4.0innings.

The lefty said afterwards that he threw up several times during the game, as he tried to “gut out” the issue.

But he was charged with four earned runs and put runners in scoring position in all but one of the innings he appeared in.

“Credit to him, under the weather today, and still went out there and battled,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game.

“I thought his stuff was really good, as good a change-up as I’ve seen from him, a ton of swing-and-miss with that pitch,” he continued, before conceding that Minnesota “battled him throughout to make it challenging all day.”

Weathers did record six strikeouts but didn’t fully bounce back from a difficult start to the game.

A leadoff double from Minnesota’s Austin Martin set the tone for the pitcher’s day (and helped the Twins grab a 1-0 lead soon after), and Weathers was ultimately pulled after beaning Luke Keaschall and walking Martin in the fifth inning.

“I wanna do well for the team and try to win the ballgame,” Weathers said afterwards. “And it just didn’t happen today.”

Weathers got up to 88 pitches — and one was a wild pitch that moved Royce Lewis to second and allowed him to score on shortly after a Brooks Lee single to left.

The 26-year-old, in his sixth MLB season, is well on his way to blowing past his career high of 94 ²/₃ innings from his rookie season in San Diego.

And that mileage won’t make things any easier for a pitcher who has already been sliding over the last couple of months.

His ERA had dropped to a flat 3.00 on May 11 after a two-run, 6 ¹/₃-inning start against the Orioles. That figure is now 4.29 after this latest Yankees defeat, in which boos later rang down for relievers Paul Blackburn and Camilo Doval after the bleeding continued.

Weathers will likely pitch next in the back end of the Rays series or against the Nationals, and neither of those spots is massively favorable for a pitcher trying to get back on track.

ATLANTA — A.J. Ewing is not deterred by left-handed pitching.

The rookie homered and singled — both against lefties — to finish 2-for-4 in the Mets’ 10-9 victory over the Braves on Sunday. It marked the second time Ewing had multiple hits against left-handers in a game this season.

Ewing launched a Martín Pérez sinker for a homer leading off the third inning. The blast, which cleared the center field fence, was the first of his career that he did not pull. Ewing has five homers.

“I think I have always been comfortable against lefties,” he said.

Ewing and Carson Benge, the two rookies in the lineup, have been success stories in a dreary season for the Mets. The 21-year-old Ewing boosted his OPS to .756 with his latest performance.

“I think we have believed he’s going to hit lefties in the long run, and it’s good to see him doing it,” interim manager Andy Green said.

Francisco Lindor is expected to either DH or receive a day off Monday as the team continues to monitor his workload following his return from a calf strain.

“Hopefully, it’s the DH because we love having his bat in the lineup,” Greensaid. “But certainly, we like paying attention to his workload every day. It’s something we talked about [Saturday], and he felt good to go — it puts a good lineup on the field for us, having him at shortstop. He was on the bases quite a bit [Saturday], so it’s good to see him playing well and recovering.”

Green indicated he likely will deploy Kodai Senga behind an opener for Tuesday’s game against the Royals at Citi Field. Senga pitched 2 ²/₃ innings in relief Friday, allowing one earned run. In his other relief appearance since his displacement from the starting rotation, he allowed two earned runs over five innings against the Phillies.

Juan Soto has reached base in 18 of his past 21 games since June 11 and ranks second in MLB among qualifiers in on-base percentage (.500) during that stretch. He’s third in OPS (1.171) and fifth in batting average (.371). Overall, he leads the NL with a .966 OPS. 

Camilo Doval has an ERA of 4.67, a number that does not take into account the eight unearned runs he has surrendered in his past three games.

There are few pitchers in baseball who have been statistically friendlier to lefty hitters, who have torched a very talented right arm.

But the public belief stated both by the Yankees flamethrower and his manager is Doval’s fortunes will turn because poor luck is playing a significant part in the struggles.

“In my career as a pitcher, I’ve never felt this good,” Doval said through interpreter Marlon Abreu after allowing two more unearned runs in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Twins in The Bronx. “I’m not getting the results I expect out of myself. Sometimes it’s out of your control — you execute pitches and then you don’t get the results you want.”

He had a point in the series finale, when Ryan Kreidler reached on an error by Anthony Volpe and when Luke Keaschall did not “execute a bunt,” in the words of Aaron Boone, trying to lay one down and instead popping it over Doval and toward shortstop “no-man’s-land,” the manager said. It went for a single that loaded the bases.

But Doval has not been able to limit damage when poor luck or errors strike, and he walked in one run before a sacrifice fly scored another.

“I know nobody likes hearing it, but he’s throwing the ball really well,” said Boone, who leaned upon Doval’s excellent numbers against righties and acknowledged his issues with lefties. “Obviously the lefties have hurt him. … That’s where we got to get him a little more efficient.”

Among a lengthy list of Yankees issues is Doval, who has the talent and pedigree (a 2023 All-Star) to lock down the late innings but whose ineffectiveness figures to prompt the front office to seek trade-deadline help. He has been shutdown against righty hitters — among pitchers who had logged at least 19 innings versus righties this season, Doval’s .438 OPS-against entered play ranked 13th, narrowly behind Shohei Ohtani’s .430.

But there had been only three pitchers worse against lefty hitters, Doval sporting a 1.044 OPS-against.

When Doval was at his best — during his All-Star season with the Giants — he trusted his cutter and slider against lefties, only mixing in a few sinkers.

With the Yankees this year, Doval’s sinker usage has spiked all the way up to 43 percent against lefties.

Asked the key to improving against opposite-handed hitters, Doval cited strike-throwing.

“You really gotta be able to execute and attack the zone against lefties. You can’t lose faith in yourself,” said Doval, who has walked five, allowed 26 hits and given up four homers in 14 ⅓ innings against lefties. “… Just want to be able to keep attacking and being as consistent as possible.”

If the Yankees had plenty of options already on the 40-man roster in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, perhaps they would demote Doval and allow him to work on his command against lefties at the lower level.

Given the state of the team, Boone did not sound as if such a move would happen.

“The bottom line is he’s got to be part of our solution here,” Boone said. “We’re up against it a little bit from an attrition standpoint.”

Max Fried threw a second live batting practice, building up to 36 pitches.

The lefty, recovering from an elbow bone bruise, will throw another sim game Thursday or Friday, after which a rehab assignment is expected.

As the announcer called out his name in the lineup, Eliezer Alfonzo hugged fellow Venezuelan Miguel Rojas before the catcher walked down the dugout to greet his teammates and coaches. The two had written messages on their caps in silver ink: On Alfonzo’s, “EyP, RIP,” the initials of his stepmother Patricia and his younger sister Eliana. On Rojas’, a cross was drawn next to “Alfonzo” and below “Fuerza Matatan.” In other words, stay strong, Matatan, the nickname given to Alfonzo’s father, the former major league catcher Eliezer “El Matatán” Alfonzo.

An unimaginable weight rested on his shoulders when Alfonzo stepped into the batter’s box to a standing ovation. Alfonzo’s stepmother and sister were reportedly found dead after the earthquakes in Venezuela last month.

Alfonzo went 0-for-2 in an otherwise quiet Dodgers 5-2 loss to the Padres, though even in that performance, he found moments to reflect. His sister, he said after the game, had a dream that she refused to tell him until it came true.

“I’m pretty sure the dream was something about this. I wish she was alive to watch me play in the big leagues,” Alfonzo said. “But I know she’s in God’s side now, and she’s gonna protect me, and she’s gonna enjoy every moment that I’m gonna have.”

He honored his family’s loss by playing as if his sister were sitting in the stands. Because if she were here, he said, she would be yelling from the stands, “Hit the ball hard!”

The Dodgers catcher had previously clung to hope that the two, who had been reported missing, would be found. His father had searched tirelessly for them, his hope bolstered when he found the family’s dog alive. Alfonzo’s father stayed in the country, searching, when the Dodgers called his son to let him know he’d join the team.

The series finale with the Padres should’ve been a happy day. Most players who have toiled in the minor league system debut in front of applauding friends and family. Instead, Alfonzo’s first appearance, the culmination of nine tireless years, was somber , stricken by the grief overshadowing what should’ve been a joyous moment in the Dodgers’ to the Padres.

Read more:Dodgers' Eliezer Alfonzo to start after his sister and stepmother died in Venezuela

Even manager Dave Roberts was lost for words.

“After today, it’s going to really hit him,” Roberts said. “All of us feel for him and his father, who I know, their family. It’s devastating.”

Alfonzo never considered not playing today, despite the personal tragedy. He’s spoken with his brother and his father in Venezuela, who asked him to play in the series finale for his sister. His agent, girlfriend and teammates, like Rojas, also helped Alfonzo approach the game calmly.

“What happened, unfortunately, is out of my hands and part of life,” he said in Spanish. “Only God knows why they happen. I went out there to honor my sister and my stepmother, and give my best in a difficult moment. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the win, but you have to keep moving forward.”

Rojas, who spoke through reddened, teary eyes after the game, knows the family well. He learned from and played against Alfonzo’s father in Venezuelan winter ball. And, in a country struck by tragedy, this loss felt close to home.

“Everybody in Venezuela loves his dad,” Rojas said. “It’s really tough right now to put into context and to put into words. Just for him to be here today and making the decision that he was going to fulfill his childhood dream of playing in the big leagues, thinking about that and thinking about them and what happened over there and what his dad has to be going through right now by himself in Venezuela, it’s really tough.

“For me, I’m just going to support the whole family and especially Eliezer, because I know how hard it is to play like that. It’s been hard for me. Nothing happened to one of my family members, but as soon as I heard the news about them, it hit me as hard as if it were my family. I consider Eliezer Alfonso Sr. one of my close friends in baseball.”

In a way, playing baseball helps bring happiness to those going through tragedy, Rojas said. He knows because he’s lost both his parents, but his family still asks him to play.

“This is how I make a lot of people happy in my family and people who know me,” he said. “This is not just my job. This is who I am.”

Against the Padres, Rojas helped break a five-inning hitless streak for the Dodgers (59-32), who lead MLB in batting average (.265), with a single in the fifth. However, by then, the team had already found itself in a hole.

Emmet Sheehan gave up an RBI single to Padres’ center fielder Jackson Merrill in the fourth inning. In the fifth, he pitched himself into a jam, giving up a successive walk and double that put two runners in scoring position. With no room for error, Sheehan was quickly replaced by Jack Dreyer, who escaped the inning scoreless.

Read more:Dodgers' Edwin Díaz pushes back against alleged links to illegal cockfighting

Sheehan (4-6) has now had five straight starts that lasted no more than five innings. But, having given up only one earned run in the series closer to the Padres (44-45), Sheehan’s start could be viewed as a step in the right direction: only three hits and five strikeouts.

“I thought the first three innings were great,” Roberts said. “They really were. I thought the stuff was up, he was on the attack, you’re getting the swing-and-miss, getting the soft contact, he was great.”

However, emotions remained high on both sides. San Diego’s manager Craig Stammen and coach Ryan Goins were ejected three pitches into the game after arguing a check-swing call. The ejection seemed to spark the Padres back from a season-high eight-game losing streak, though the Dodgers didn’t make the win easy at times.

The pressure ratcheted up in the sixth when Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages worked walks off Yuki Matsui, who replaced JP Sears. The Padres switched pitchers again before Mookie Betts’ two-out at-bat, and the move paid off. Betts hit a routine flyball, and the inning — and the Dodgers’ momentum — ended.

After scoring in the fourth, San Diego extended its lead in the seventh courtesy of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Tatis Jr. beat out a throw from Rojas to Freddie Freeman, driving in one run. And though the Dodgers challenged, the call was upheld. Then, two batters later, reliever Kyle Hurt threw a four-seam fastball down the middle of the plate, and Machado rocketed the pitch to the center field wall beyond the grasp of a leaping Pages.

The Dodgers clawed back two runs in the seventh. Alex Freeland drove in one on a line-drive RBI-single. Ohtani added another one. Neither was enough to win, though it ensured the Dodgers weren’t blanked.

Still, the game’s result seemed minuscule when stacked against Alfonso’s personal tragedy and the earthquake’s destruction in Venezuela. And, as the country and its people begin to piece together the full toll of the destruction amid the rubble, the notion of playing baseball seems absurd in the wake of such tragedy.

“It’s not always easy, but sometimes getting on the field, competing, life goes to the wayside,” Roberts said. “And you can just compete and do your job, and that’s sort of a blessing. But yeah, to play every day, and to have to perform, it’s pressure in itself.”

But for the men who have only known how to play baseball since they were young, there’s little else to do.

“That’s the worst feeling, feeling selfish of being here and playing, and we look out there like we’re having fun and we’re laughing,” Rojas said. “At the end, when I put my head to bed after everything is over, after the show is over, it’s really hard to go to sleep. I’m pretty sure a lot of Venezuelans are going through the same thing.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

After eight straight losses, and five in a row to the Dodgers in the last two weeks, the Padres had evidently had enough.

Three pitches into Sunday’s game, manager Craig Stammen and infield coach Ryan Goins were ejected for arguing a check-swing call against Fernando Tatis Jr. –– a seemingly performative outburst to fire up their slumping squad.

Whatever the intended effect, it appeared to work for the Padres, who managed to salvage something from this nightmarish four-game series at Dodger Stadium with a 5-2 win over the Dodgers.

For most of the late-afternoon contest, the game moved as excitingly as the upper-deck shadows across the infield.

Neither team had a hit through the first three innings. The scoring wasn’t opened until an RBI single from Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill in the fourth. And even then, the proceedings lacked little in the way of excitement or intrigue.

Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan only lasted 4 ⅓ innings, limiting the damage to just the one run despite an inefficient 96-pitch outing.

Padres left-hander JP Sears, meanwhile, reversed his scuffling form after entering the day with a near-7.00 ERA, holding the Dodgers scoreless over a five-inning outing in which he didn’t allow his first hit until a Miguel Rojas single in his second-to-last at-bat.

Finally, the Padres pulled away in the seventh, tagging Dodgers reliever Kyle Hurt with four runs –– including three on a back-breaking blast from Manny Machado.

The Dodgers got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh, on RBI singles from Alex Freeland and Shohei Ohtani, but got no further.

For one day, at least, the Padres had something to celebrate against their NL West rivals.

What it means

In the grand scheme, not much.

The Dodgers (59-32) remain 14 games clear of the Padres (44-45), who climbed back into a tie for second place in the division.

They maintain the winningest record in baseball and all but certain odds of another NL West crown.

What they did miss out on was what would’ve been their first four-game sweep of the Padres since 2009. Still, by taking three games this weekend, they’ve not only bolstered their division lead but clinched the head-to-head season series in the rivalry, as well.

Who’s hot

Stammen and his coaching staff sure seemed to be.

Amid the Padres’ season-long losing streak, they looked ready to jump on the first even somewhat questionable call from the umpires Sunday, immediately barking out from the dugout when Tatis wasn’t granted a check-swing call in the game’s first at-bat.

First, Goins got tossed from his seat on the bench.

Then Stammen, San Diego’s rookie manager, got himself rung during an on-field confrontation.

Tatis went on to strike out in the at-bat, and Sheehan kept them quiet for a while after that. But eventually, the Padres gave Stammen something to smile about back in his office, 

Who’s not

Tommy Edman was a late scratch from the Dodgers’ starting lineup Sunday, after getting hit by a pitch in his surgically repaired right ankle the night before.

However, manager Dave Roberts downplayed the severity of the issue before the game, saying he was “not too concerned.”

Lo and behold, Edman came in as a pinch-hitter during the Dodgers’ seventh-inning rally, though did not stay in from there to play defense.

In more encouraging Dodgers injury news Sunday, Ohtani returned to the lineup after a one-day absence with tightness in his biceps. Roberts said the Dodgers will continue to monitor the injury, but that the two-way star was already feeling “back to normal.”

Up next

The Dodgers continue this 10-game, pre-All-Star-break homestand by welcoming the Rockies to town on Monday. Eric Lauer (4-5, 4.84 ERA) will start the opener against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (2-7, 7.25 ERA).