Dodgers help San Diego Set MLB Record for Futility
Futility at its best, yes the San Diego Padres can now say no other Major League Baseball team has been as futile over the season’s opening three games.
The Padres plain and simple could not find home plate versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres became the first ever MLB team to go scoreless in its opening three games of the season.
With its loss of 7-0 on Wednesday, the Padres set the new MLB record with 27 straight scoreless innings opening a new season. The prior mark of 26 straight innings was held by St. Louis Browns of 1946.
At the same time, the Dodgers, who started the season with 10 players out on the disabled list, are the first team in 53 years to post three straight shutouts to start the season. The Dodgers outscored San Diego 25-0 in the first series of the season.
Andy Green the Padres manager said you needed to put things in perspective. The season still has another 159 games to be played and the team will score runs and will win some series.
San Diego thought its scoreless streak had ended during the sixth. Cory Spangenberg was out at home trying to score on a groundball to first. However, the Padres decided to appeal.
A replay appeared to show that the foot of Spangenberg was across the plate prior to A.J. Ellis the Dodgers catcher tagging him.
However, following a lengthy review of over three minutes, the out call was upheld.
Green said the team had plenty of opportunities to score both in the first two games and on Wednesday, so a close call that went against the team is not something to worry about at his juncture of the season.
The Dodgers opened the series with their ace Clayton Kershaw who was followed by two new Los Angeles starters. Kershaw gave up one hit during seven innings Monday.
He was followed by Scott Kazmir who allowed one hit over his six innings in game two and then Kenta Maeda debuted in the majors on Wednesday with five hits allowed in six plus innings.
Maeda might not have topped the pitching performance of Kershaw and Kazmir but he did smack a home run during the fourth off San Diego’s starting pitcher Andrew Cashner.
Three expected starters for the Dodgers did not play in the opening series. Andre Ethier an outfielder broke a bone in his leg and will miss the majority of the first half of the season.
Howie Kendrick an infielder and Yasmani Grandal the starting catcher are close to returning from their injuries.
The Padres will play again on Friday against Colorado with the hopes of finally pushing a run across the plate.
