Kim “Awesome Kim” Ha-seong (29-San Diego Padres) got his hitting going after two games, but was unable to help his team win. Shohei Ohtani (30-LA Dodgers) went hitless but contributed with a walk and a run scored.
Kim Ha-seong started at shortstop in the No. 7 spot in the lineup and went 1-for-4 in the second game of the three-game home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA on Wednesday.
The hit came in his first at-bat. Trailing 0-1 with the bases loaded in the second inning, he faced Dodgers starter James Paxton and battled through seven pitches. After working a 2B-2S count on a knuckle curveball for six pitches, Paxton hit a 95.1-mph (153-kilometer) four-seam fastball for a solo shot to left. It was his first hit in two games since Sept. 9 against the Chicago Cubs. It also extended his hitting streak to seven games.
He was stranded at second when Jose Azuca struck out swinging.
Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning, he had two runners in scoring position with no outs. This time, he worked a 3B-1S count in Paxton’s favor, but a strike and a foul ball worked a full count, and he took a low 80.8-mph (130-kilometer) knuckle curveball seven pitches later for a fly ball to center field.
His third at-bat was another big hit. 토토사이트 Down 0-5 and with two outs in the seventh inning, Kim failed to get on base on a two-seam slider from Gus Barand, flying out to second base.
Still down 0-5, Kim faced his final at-bat with two outs in the ninth inning. After seeing a first-pitch strike from J.P. Fireleisen, he took a 91.6-mph fastball on the second pitch, but lined it straight to shortstop.
Kim, who added an RBI single, raised his season average to 2-for-9 from 2-for-8.
Ohtani started in the No. 2 spot and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
With the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, he lined a single to left field off San Diego starter Matt Waldron. Later, with two outs in the second inning, he hit a three-seam knuckleball from Waldron that was well inside the zone but was caught by Jurickson Profar in left field.
The run came in his third at-bat. With the bases still loaded and the score still 1-0 in the top of the sixth, Ohtani calmly drew a seven-pitch walk against Waldron. Ohtani stole second and third on a wild pitch and a wild pitch, and came home on Teoscar Hernandez’s grand slam.
With runners on first and second in the seventh inning with a 5-0 lead, he watched Johnny Brito’s first pitch and reacted to a 96.5-mph (155-kilometer) sinker on the second pitch, but settled for a pitcher’s choice to advance two runners.
Ohtani was replaced by pinch-hitter Kike Hernandez with the bases loaded in the ninth inning with a 5-0 lead. His batting average dropped to 3-for-5 on the season, down from 5-for-9 earlier.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers avenged the previous day’s loss with a 5-0 victory over San Diego. They are 27-14 on the season. Paxton picked up his fifth win of the season with six innings of four-hit, four-strikeout ball, while Hernandez’s grand slam was the difference at the plate.
San Diego, meanwhile, saw its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 21-21. Waldron took the loss despite allowing two runs on two hits (one homer) and two walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
