Los Angeles – Yu Darvish took his 11th loss Tuesday, pitching four innings of two-run ball as the San Diego Padres fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The loss to a National League West rival continued a miserable run for San Diego, whose stunning late-season collapse culminated with its elimination from playoff contention over the weekend.
The 35-year-old Darvish (8-11) struck out six, while allowing five hits and four walks before making an early exit from the series opener at Dodger Stadium with the Padres trailing 2-0.
He gave up an RBI double to Trea Turner in the first and a third-inning RBI single to AJ Pollock that scored Turner after he took third on a wild pitch.
Right-hander Walker Buehler (15-4) was dominant through seven scoreless innings for the playoff-bound Dodgers, striking out five, with three hits and a pair of walks.
The Padres’ woes have mirrored those of their Japanese right-hander. Darvish’s impressive first half of the season earned him National League All-Star selection, but injuries prevented him pitching consistently in the second half.
Lower back problems forced him onto the injured list twice and he suffered a seven-game losing streak from the start of July.
Despite his struggles, Darvish has still looked like an ace at times in the second half, including a scoreless seven-inning start with nine strikeouts against the St. Louis Cardinals in mid-September.
It is unclear whether Darvish will pitch again this season. The Padres could decide to start him Sunday in their season finale against the playoff-bound San Francisco Giants.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times