Dodgers Ruin Puig's Return in 4-2 Loss to San Diego

Yasiel Puig did his part, the Dodgers did not.

Puig had two singles in his return to the Major Leagues, but the Dodgers dropped a heartbreaker to the San Diego Padres, 4-2, on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles outhit the Padres 13-6, but left 11 men on base as the bullpen faltered in a late inning letdown.

"The hits are progress, but we need to get that hit to clear the bases," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game. "I don't know if it was too much effort, or a matter of trying too hard, but we can build on this."

The Dodgers clung to a 1-0 lead before Jesse Chavez served up a two-run double to Derek Norris in the top of the sixth.

Joc Pederson tied the game in the bottom half  of the inning with his 19^th home run of the season, but relief pitcher Adam Liberatore relinquished the tie surrendering a solo homer to Yangervis Solarte in the top of the eighth.

"I was trying to get a hit to leadoff the inning," Solarte said of the at-bat. "I was able to stay aggressive and made some good contact and it ended up going out."

Liberatore has been a shell of his former self in the second half of the season, posting an enormous 18.56 ERA since his record-breaking consecutive scoreless streak ended in July. 

"I don't know if it's health or mechanics, but the effectiviness he had before the break is not matching up," Roberts said of Liberatore. "They've had a big load this year, but now we have some reinforcements so the load will be lessened going forward."

Pederson drove in both runs for the Dodgers and was the player of the game, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run on the night.

The 24-year-old lefty entered the game 4-for-48 against left-handed pitching this season, but he snapped the slump with an RBI single in the fourth inning off San Diego southpaw, Clayton Richard, to give the Dodgers the lead.

Richard did not factor in the decision, scattering a season-high nine hits, allowing just one run with four strikeouts in five innings for San Diego.

"It turned out well and defense was solid," Richard said. "I was able to keep us in position long enough and our bullpen did the job. They stepped up for us."

Unlike Liberatore, Richard has been refined in the second half of the season, posting a 1.38 ERA in nine games since the All-Star break. 

Dodgers' starter Julio Urias was stellar once again for the boys in blue, but he did not factor in the decision after running into trouble in the sixth inning.

The 20-year-old rookie surrendered a single to Solarte before plunking Alex Dickerson to put two runners on base. In total, Urias hit three batters in the game--the first time a Dodger pitcher has done so since Carlos Monasterios on Aug. 26, 2010--as he became just the third pitcher age 20 or under to hit three batters in one game.

"He was trying to go in and just nicked those guys," Roberts said of the three hit batters. "It was very uncharacteristic of Julio."

Urias was charged for the two runs allowed by Chavez, and gave up just three hits to go along with six strikeouts in 5 and 1/3 innings. 

"I felt good tonight, my breaking ball wasn't working very well in the beginning but it turned out to be the key," Urias said through a translator. 

Urias has arguably been the best Dodgers pitcher in the second half of the season, as he is undefeated in seven games since the All-Star Break with a record of 4-0 and a 2.25 ERA.

"Julio has done everything we've asked from him," added Roberts. "Julio pitched well enough to win."

Brandon Maurer worked a perfect ninth inning for the Padres earning his seventh save since San Diego traded away former closer Fernando Rodney on June 30th.

Howie Kendrick went 4-for-5 on the night, his fifth four-hit game this season, the most in the National League, but unfortunately he had nothing to show for his offensive output.

Puig went 2-for-4 with two singles in his first big league actions since he was demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Aug. 2^nd.

"As the game went on I was able to feel more comfortable as the game went on," said Puig who was cheered by fans all night long. "I was very happy and grateful."

Los Angeles squandered an opportunity against San Diego to extend their lead in the National League West. Instead, they remain two games ahead of the San Francisco Giants who lost to the Chicago Cubs earlier in the day.

Players of the Game:

Joc Pederson: 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Howie Kendrick: 4-for-4
Yangervis Solarte: Game-winning home run.       

Three Takeaways:

1. K is for Kid: Julio Urias now has 76 strikeouts on the season, joining Fernando Valenzuela, Don Drysdale, Clayton Kershaw, and Johnny Podres as the only pitchers in Dodgers franchise history to record 75 or more strikeouts at the age of 20 or younger.

Dodger pitchers 20 or younger with at least 75 strikeouts in a season: Valenzuela, Drysdale, Kershaw, Podres, Julio Urias — Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) September 3, 2016

2. Me and Julio Down by the School Yard: Did you know that since June 7, 2016, Julio Urias has the fourth lowest ERA (2.69) in the National League? He sits behind only Kyle Hendricks (1.60), Max Scherzer (2.15) and Carlos Martinez (2.56) over that span.

NL ERA leaders since June 7 (including today)
1. Kyle Hendricks: 1.60
2. Max Scherzer: 2.15
3. Carlos Martinez: 2.56
4. Julio Urias: 2.69 — Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) September 3, 2016

3. Go Gold for Childhood Cancer: September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and the Los Angeles Dodgers are doing their part by wearing gold wristbands during the month in addition to fundraising for pediatric cancer care with Los Angeles Children's hospital. Joc Pederson wore the gold armbands and as you can see below, they gave him strength.

"Let me crush this real quick." pic.twitter.com/d7mFRY78T9 — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 3, 2016

Up Next:

Padres (56-78): Luis Perdomo starts for San Diego on Saturday in the middle game.

Dodgers (73-61): Rich Hill will make his second start as a Dodger at 6:10PM PST.