Padres lose lead late, drop below .500 with loss to Dodgers
San Diego Union-Tribune • • sports
Key Points:
- The San Diego Padres lost their seventh straight game, falling 4-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers after a critical error by second baseman Jake Cronenworth led to a grand slam by Teoscar Hernández.
- Padres starter Michael King delivered six scoreless innings, but the bullpen faltered in the seventh, with reliever Adrian Morejón giving up the pivotal grand slam following Cronenworth's error.
- The loss dropped the Padres to a sub-.500 record at 43-44, four games out of the final National League wild-card spot, marking a significant decline since their 29-18 start earlier in the season.
- Despite strong performances from King and the offense early in the game against Shohei Ohtani, the Padres' inability to hold the lead and late-game struggles have tested the team's resilience.
- Manager Craig Stammen acknowledged the team's challenging stretch but expressed confidence in their ability to rebound, emphasizing the need to overcome recent failures and improve moving forward.
