Miguel Andujar homered Monday night for the game’s only run and Michael King won a classic pitcher’s duel with Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the San Diego Padres blanked the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0.
King (4-2) allowed just four hits and two walks over a season-high seven innings, fanning a season-best nine. Jason Adam maneuvered around a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth and Mason Miller closed it out in the ninth for his 15th save in as many chances.
Yamamoto (3-4) was a tough-luck loser, permitting only three hits and two walks in seven innings while striking out eight. But his only real mistake wound up in the left field seats with one out in the bottom of the first.
Pouncing on a hanging 2-2 splitter, Andujar launched it an estimated 376 feet for his fourth homer of the year. After that, San Diego pushed only one runner into scoring position for the game’s remainder. Jackson Merrill swiped second in the seventh but was stranded.
But King and the high-leverage arms in the bullpen made it stick. King whiffed five in his first pass through the order and faced the minimum through five innings. The two Dodger batters who reached — Mookie Betts on a single in the first and Shohei Ohtani via a leadoff walk in the fourth — were cut down stealing by rookie catcher Rodolfo Duran.
Los Angeles threatened in King’s last two innings. It got men to first and third with two outs in the sixth before Betts popped up to second, stranding Hyeseong Kim and Ohtani. In the seventh, Max Muncy sent Merrill back to the warning track in center to haul in his well-hit ball with Kyle Tucker on second.
Kim walked and Ohtani singled with two outs in the eighth before Adam induced an inning-ending fielder’s choice grounder from Betts. In the ninth, Freddie Freeman and Tucker drew walks against Miller.
But Will Smith flied out, Muncy looked at a third strike and Andy Pages bounced into a fielder’s choice to end it.
