April 15th, 2024 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka It’s a sayings that has been around as long as the game of baseball itself:
“Walks kill you.”
Not the physical type of walks, which are good for you, but the base on balls type of walks, which are not.
On a rain delayed game at Chavez Ravine on Sunday afternoon, walks killed the Dodgers, when five Dodgers pitchers walked a combined 14 San Diego Padres batters, the most in a single game by a Dodgers pitching staff since 1962 and only the fourth time in franchise history.
“It’s hard to win a baseball game when you give up 14 bases by way of walks,” a noticeably upset Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame, following his team’s 6-3 loss to the division rival San Diego Padres. “Very talented offense over there. And when you do that… we found ways to limit damage with three, four double plays, whatever it was. But, ultimately, it’s going to show itself, and it did today,” added the Dodgers skipper.
(ESPN)
“I just didn’t really have a feel for anything that was going today,” said Dodgers right-hander James Paxton, who started Sundays game for the Dodgers and issued eight of those 14 walks, of which two would come around to score. “So I was just competing out there, doing the best I could.”
As Roberts eluded to, Paxton managed to work his way out of several early jams by inducing a pair of huge doubles plays off the bat of Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth in the third and fifth innings. But Paxton’s luck ran out in the top of the sixth, when San Diego turned two of his walks into two runs, which tied the game at 3-3.
It gets worse.
Dodgers right-handed reliever J.P. Feyereisen walked Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts and Cronenworth in the top of the seventh inning, both of whom would come around to score on a bases loaded/bases clearing double to center by Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar to drive in what would prove to be the game-winning runs.
(MLB.com)
Perhaps it’s time for Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman to make some roster moves – before his team gets killed even more.
Play Ball!
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