Dodgers' Andy Pages key at-bat

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Tuesday, May 19, in San Diego after Andy Pages turned a late plate appearance into the decisive swing of the game. With the score tied in the ninth and Alex Call on third, Pages faced Padres closer Mason Miller, who had not taken a loss in more than a year, and forced a nine-pitch confrontation before driving in the winning run. MLB.com described it as one of the best at-bats Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had seen, and the Los Angeles Times singled it out as the defining sequence of the win. The result also moved Los Angeles back in front in the National League West. MLB’s official standings listed the Dodgers at 31-19 on May 21, 1.5 games ahead of the Padres at 29-20 as Memorial Day weekend approached. ### How did the at-bat start? Miller got ahead of Pages 0-2 in the top of the ninth, according to MLB.com’s game account. (mlb.com) Pages then extended the plate appearance by fouling off a slider and multiple triple-digit fastballs, while also laying off pitches above and below the zone. Roberts told MLB.com that he felt the matchup change when Pages did not chase a 1-2 slider in the dirt. (mlb.com) That take mattered because Miller had entered with his usual advantage — upper-90s and 100-plus velocity, plus a slider that could finish hitters once he got ahead. ### What did Pages finally do with the pitch he could handle? (mlb.com) Pages got a swing off on a 101.5 mph fastball above the zone and sent it to right field, MLB.com reported. The ball was deep enough for the Dodgers to send Call from third, and the safe call at the plate stood after a Padres challenge. (mlb.com) The play went into the box score as a sacrifice fly, but the sequence mattered more than the scoring notation. Pages did not need an extra-base hit; he needed contact against one of the hardest throwers in the sport, and he got enough of the ninth pitch to produce the run that broke the tie. That is the sequence the Los Angeles Times highlighted in its postgame coverage. (mlb.com) ### Why was Miller the key matchup? Miller entered the game with a streak of more than a year without a loss, according to MLB.com and Yahoo Sports. The Dodgers had already seen him finish a save against them on May 18, when MLB’s video log showed Miller getting the final out against Pages. (mlb.com) That context made the plate appearance more than a routine late-inning matchup. Pages was facing a reliever San Diego trusted to close games and doing it after Miller’s wild throw had allowed Call to remain on third. Once the count stayed alive, the pressure shifted from the pitcher dictating the at-bat to the hitter surviving it. (mlb.com) ### What else happened in the game before the ninth? Freddie Freeman hit two home runs for Los Angeles, according to MLB.com’s recap. Manny Machado hit a two-run homer for San Diego, and Miguel Andujar added another two-run shot as the Padres built a 4-2 lead before the Dodgers tied it. (mlb.com) The game was played at Petco Park and ended with the Dodgers evening the three-game set, MLB.com said. Baseball Almanac’s game entry also recorded the final score as 5-4 in favor of Los Angeles on May 19. ### Where did the win leave the Dodgers? MLB’s standings page on May 21 showed Los Angeles back atop the NL West at 31-19, with San Diego 1.5 games back. (mlb.com) Two days earlier, MLB.com had noted that the Padres had moved a half-game ahead of the Dodgers after a 1-0 win, underscoring how quickly the series changed the division picture. MLB’s schedule page listed the Dodgers’ next game for May 22 at Milwaukee, while the Padres were set to host the Athletics that same day. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) (mlb.com 3)