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8:09 AM UTC
LOS ANGELES — The last time Mike Clevinger made a postseason start against the Dodgers, he took the mound with a compromised right elbow.
Clevinger started Game 1 of the 2020 National League Division Series for the Padres, but he lasted only one inning, plus two pitches in the second, after unsuccessfully attempting to pitch through ligament damage that ultimately resulted in the second Tommy John surgery of his career.
With his arm finally healthy, Clevinger had a shot at redemption when he again got the Game 1 assignment for the Padres in the NLDS opener Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. But he still couldn’t figure out a way to solve the Dodgers’ vaunted lineup, delivering another short start in a 5-3 loss for San Diego.
Clevinger exited after recording only eight outs on 60 pitches, marking his shortest outing since that ill-fated playoff start against the Dodgers two years ago. He was charged with five runs (four earned) on six hits over 2 2/3 innings, leaving the Padres in an early hole that proved too great to overcome.
In his four starts against the Dodgers this year, Clevinger has allowed 18 earned runs over 15 2/3 innings for a 10.34 ERA. He has a 3.64 ERA against everyone else.
“I didn’t feel too great,” Clevinger said. “This lineup is disciplined. As good as they are, you’ve got to be on your game. I just didn’t have it tonight.”
Clevinger was left off the Padres’ NL Wild Card Series roster after coming down with a non-COVID illness, but he got the Game 1 nod on Tuesday because San Diego used its top three starters to topple the Mets this past weekend.
The 31-year-old right-hander hadn’t pitched since Oct. 1, when he fired six innings of one-run ball to outduel American League Cy Young contender Dylan Cease in a 5-2 win over the White Sox. But after the layoff, he didn’t look nearly as sharp against the Dodgers.
Trea Turner parked Clevinger’s sixth pitch of the game – a down-and-in fastball – halfway up the left-field bleachers for a solo shot that put the Dodgers on the board in the first inning. Will Smith followed with a double, setting up an RBI single from Max Muncy, who managed to find a hole on the left side and extend Los Angeles’ lead to 2-0.
“It’s a team that makes you work,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “They make you throw a lot of pitches. When you throw pitches in the middle of the plate, they take advantage of it. And that’s what I saw early on with him. At times, he had a good breaking ball and fastball, but they hit his mistakes.”
Clevinger avoided damage in a 1-2-3 second inning, but he couldn’t get out of the third. A pair of doubles from Turner and Smith brought home another run for the Dodgers, and Clevinger then walked Muncy to put a pair of runners on with one out. After striking out Justin Turner on a slider, Clevinger got ahead, 0-2, against Gavin Lux, but he couldn’t put him away, misplacing a fastball that Lux hooked down the right-field line for L.A.’s third double of the inning, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
That ended the night for Clevinger, who was lifted in favor of reliever Steven Wilson. An error by first baseman Wil Myers, who couldn’t handle Cody Bellinger’s grounder to the right side, allowed Muncy to score from third base and capped Los Angeles’ three-run rally.
Five of the Dodgers’ six hits against Clevinger came on his fastball, which he had trouble commanding to his glove side.
“I thought that break would kind of help, but I wasn’t all the way back tonight,” Clevinger said. “I’ll go back to the drawing board and try to keep working on this and get them next time.”
That next time could arrive as soon as a series-deciding Game 5 on Sunday, but Clevinger’s latest clunker against the Dodgers didn’t breed confidence in his ability to come through in that situation. The Padres won’t have many appealing alternatives if they manage to get that far. Lefty Sean Manaea has also been hit hard by the Dodgers, giving up 24 runs over 17 2/3 innings (11.72 ERA) in his five appearances against Los Angeles this year.
Wilson and fellow relievers Pierce Johnson, Tim Hill and Nick Martinez combined to throw 5 1/3 scoreless innings behind Clevinger, but a Game 5 bullpen game might not be feasible since the Padres would be playing their third game in three days.
Of course, those considerations would become moot if the Padres can’t figure out a way to beat the Dodgers, who have won 15 of the 20 matchups between the NL West rivals this season.
“It’s still a long series,” Clevinger said. “We’ve got Darv on the mound tomorrow. He’s been one of the best pitchers on the planet lately, so I’m looking forward to watching him.”