Pinch-hit home run off Robert Suarez results in disappointing loss for Padres

Robert Suarez entered the game with San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers tied, 3-3. After two batters, Suarez and the Padres walked off the field with a 4-3 loss.

Suarez got Tommy Edman to pop out to Xander Bogaerts for the first out of the bottom of the ninth inning. The Dodgers sent Will Smith to the plate to pinch-hit for Kike Hernandez and he delivered a game-winning home run to right-center field.

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The let down for the Padres in the bottom of the ninth followed an impressive top half of the inning. Bogaerts lined a double into left-center field with San Diego trailing Los Angeles by a run. The ball got down and rolled to the wall, allowing Manny Machado to score from second base to tie the game, 3-3 with one out.

Brandon Lockridge, who was the pinch runner for Gavin Sheets, was stopped at third base. Jose Iglesias came up with Lockridge on third and Bogaerts on second. He hit a hard ground ball to Freddie Freeman at first base, who was playing in to prevent the run. Freeman threw home in plenty of time to get Lockridge at the plate for the second out of the inning.

Elias Diaz, who recorded an RBI earlier in the game, was looking for his second RBI, but he grounded into a force out to end the inning.

Stephen Kolek pitched into the seventh inning in an effort to help the Padres beat the Dodgers. As has been the case in each of the past two games, Los Angeles used one big inning to comeback and take a lead over San Diego.

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Kolek cruised through the first four innings of the game, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth inning. Max Muncy hit a line drive into right field that got over Fernando Tatis Jr. and bounced to the wall. Tatis Jr. had trouble getting the ball back to the infield and Muncy was able to reach third with no outs.

Andy Pages, who would be hit with a pitch from Kolek in a later at-bat, hit a sacrifice fly to center field, which allowed Muncy to score from third to tie the game, 1-1. Kolek then allowed a single, a double, and a single to the bottom three hitters in the Los Angeles lineup and the Dodgers took a 3-1 lead. Kolek was able to end the inning by getting Shohei Ohtani to bounce into a double play.

Kolek kept Los Angeles off the board in the sixth and came back out for the bottom of the seventh inning. He walked Muncy and hit Pages to put runners at first and second with no outs. Kolek got Edman to line out to left for the first out of the inning and that ended his night.

Wandy Peralta replaced Kolek and faced pinch-hitter Kike Hernandez. He lined out to right field on a running catch by Tatis Jr. for the second out of the inning. Peralta then walked Dalton Rushing to load the bases for Ohtani. Peralta worked to a full count against Ohtani before getting him to strikeout swinging to keep the score, 3-1.

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With Peralta stranding the inherited runners, Kolek finished the game with 6 1/3 innings pitched with three runs allowed on six hits, with a walk and three strikeouts.

San Diego completes its series in Los Angeles, Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

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