Yu Darvish gets the ball for the Friars in the pivotal Game 2 matchup of the NLDS on Wednesday.
Darvish goes against Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who will get the start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of the Dodger Stadium crowd.
LA scored five runs in the first three innings and held on to win 5-3 in Game 1 of this battle of NL West foes.
Dodger shortstop Trea Turner proved to be the difference-maker in the contest Tuesday night. Turner homered to left field in the first inning to put Los Angeles up 1-0 and then wound up propelling a three-run effort in the third inning in which he scored his second run.
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If the Padres want to bring an even series back to Petco Park later this week, they will need to find a solution to Turner in the two-hole of the Dodger batting order.
In Game 1, San Diego was able to successfully thwart right fielder and lead-off hitter Mookie Betts (0-4 with a strikeout).
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Darvish will look to keep Betts at bay again but, even if successful, the Padres starter will have plenty more to deal with Turner, first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith who hit 2-3-4 for the Dodgers.
Those four players accounted for four runs and four hits Tuesday — proving to be the difference in a game where the Padres failed to get any sort of offense from the top of its batting order.
What is Yu Darvish's postseason record?
If that weren't enough of a challenge, San Diego must also worry about Darvish's skittish postseason track record. The Padres pitcher owns a 2-5 record with an ERA of 5.18 and 31 strikeouts across seven appearances in the postseason in his career.
How many times has Clayton Kershaw pitched in the postseason?
Comparatively, Kershaw has a lot more MLB postseason experience with 37 playoff appearances. The 2020 World Series winner has had his own pitching demons in October though as he sports 13-12 record with a clunky ERA of 4.19.
Kershaw's 207 strikeouts in the postseason was a Major League Baseball record until Tuesday when Astros pitcher Justin Verlander set the bar with 208 career K's in the playoffs.
How to watch Padres and Dodgers NLDS
NLDS Game 2 between the Padres and Dodgers will air on FS1. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:37 p.m. PT.
To stream the playoff game, visit MLB.TV for a full 2022 postseason schedule.
