Dodgers play with fire by issuing 14 walks (2024)

LOS ANGELES -- For as many times as the Dodgers’ potent offense will steal the headlines this season, this is still an organization that has been led by dominant run prevention over the past decade.

On Sunday evening, the Dodgers had one of their strangest pitching performances in decades, walking 14 batters en route to a 6-3 loss to the Padres at Dodger Stadium. The 14 walks by Dodgers pitchers marked the most by one of their staffs since 1962 and only the fourth time in franchise history that a staff has walked that many batters in a single game.

“It’s hard to win a baseball game when you give up 14 bases by way of walk,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Very talented offense over there. And when you do that, we found ways to limit damage with three, four double plays -- whatever it was. But, ultimately, it’s going to show itself. And it did today.”

After a strong outing his last time out, veteran left-hander James Paxton struggled with his control from the start of the game. Paxton didn’t have much command of his four-seam fastball on Sunday and walked eight batters, setting a new career high for the 11-year big leaguer.

“I just didn’t really have a feel for anything that was going today,” Paxton said. “So I was just competing out there, doing the best I could.”

Through the early innings, Paxton was able to navigate through the heavy traffic by inducing a pair doubles plays against Jake Cronenworth in the third and fifth innings. In the sixth, Paxton’s luck ran out as the Padres turned two Paxton walks into runs to tie the game, 3-3.

Paxton, who signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers this offseason, will be one of the arms Los Angeles heavily leans on as it navigates the loss of Bobby Miller for at least a couple of weeks. The veteran left-hander will have to eat some innings in order to give a taxed bullpen a breather every five or six days.

While Paxton did his best to limit the damage on Sunday, he has been affected by 14 walks over his first three starts of the season.

“I’m sure he was messing with his delivery, trying to figure his timing out or something like that,” said Dodgers catcher Will Smith. “Yeah, his command wasn’t there. But I thought he hung in there and competed, gave us five strong innings, kept us in the ballgame.”

After Paxton, the results didn’t get any better. The Dodgers are still looking to sort out their most reliable relievers in the absence of Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen. Given those injuries and the lack of innings from some of their starters early on this season, the Dodgers turned to J.P. Feyereisen, who struggled all spring, in a leverage spot in the seventh inning against the top of the Padres’ lineup.

That was instantly problematic for the Dodgers, as the right-hander walked two and allowed a hit to begin the inning. All three runners came around to score on Jurickson Profar’s bases-clearing double that bounced off the top of the center-field wall.

“I think if you look at how the game kind of played out, that’s certainly not an ideal run there, given the part of the lineup, the leverage, the inning, whatever the score was,” Roberts said. “You got to figure out a way to make it happen.”

Through 18 games this season, the Dodgers still have some questions, which is the case for most teams around the Majors. The Dodgers have some figuring out to do with the bottom of the lineup and in the bullpen. Not having Miller in the rotation could be a problem, given where the rotation currently stands.

But despite all of that, the Dodgers are 11-7 and have one of the best records in the Majors. Sunday was a day that reminded them what can happen when things go wrong. The Dodgers are still hoping to show what they can do when everything goes right.

“For me, there’s only been about three or four games all year that we’ve played a complete baseball game, when you look at all facets,” Roberts said. “The way to spin it is we’re still winning more than we’re losing.”