When Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts led off Wednesday night’s game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park with a double to left and took third on a throwing error by Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, and then loaded the bases on two walks by Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove, it appeared that the recently struggling National League West Champion Dodgers were finally back.

They were not.

Instead, the team that tied their season franchise record of 106 wins on Sunday squandered a golden opportunity to step on the throats of their NL West second-place division rivals by turning a first-inning bases loaded/two-out gift into a goose egg.

In fact, it took Dodgers manager Dave Roberts‘ team 10 innings and 41 total batters to finally put a run on the board – only their second in as many days.

But they did and it was enough for a 1-0 win over the Padres to set a new franchise record with their historic 107th win of the season, this despite going a dismal 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 11 men on base on the night.

“To know that we’ve made our mark on Dodgers history is pretty remarkable,” Roberts told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame. “A lot of people have their hands on this, not just this year but, kind of building where we’re at right now. It’s something to be proud of,” he added.

Although Dodgers left-hander Julio Urías certainly pitched well enough to earn what should have been his 18th win of the season, his team’s suddenly ice-cold offense let him – and Dodgers fans – down (again) by collecting only one run on five hits on the night. They did, however, pick up their 107th win of the season to set a new franchise season record, with seven games remaining in the 2022 regular season.

Urías strengthened his argument to be the National League’s 2022 Cy Young Award winner with his National League-best 2.17 ERA, second-best 17 wins, and third-best 0.959 WHIP.

“I don’t focus on any of that stuff. Every time I go out on that mound, I try to do the best I can and pitch,” Urías said postgame through an interpreter. “I don’t really worry about the things that other people say or the accolades or anything like that. I just focus on doing my job, and I think that motivates me to do an even better job.”

In addition to Urías’ stellar six innings of work, Messrs. Evan Phillips, Yency Almonte, Alex Vesia (who picked up the win, his fifth), and fresh-off-the-IL Tommy Kahnle (who earned his first save of the season), allowed no runs and only one hit, a harmless ninth-inning single by always-dangerous Padres first baseman Wil Myers off of Vesia. The relief corps also struck out a combined four Padres batters while walking none.

“Our pitching has been incredible. Pitching is the reason why you win that many games and championships, ” Freeman told reporters following the 3:44-hour-long contest.

The Dodgers wrap up their three-game series with San Diego on Thursday evening before returning home to conclude their 2022 regular season with a rare six-game series against the NL West last place (65-90) Colorado Rockies.

In other words, should the best team in all of baseball finish the regular season with a win over the Padres on Thursday and then sweep of the worst team in their division, they could finish the 2022 regular season with an even better new franchise season record of 114 wins.

Could.

Stay tuned…

Play Ball!

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