Padilla Looks Good in Second Dodger Start

After losing game one of the series in extras Monday, Los Angeles could ill afford to drop another game at home to the NL West bottom dwelling D-Backs. They did not falter under the pressure. Once again, the Dodgers stepped up and earned a victory when they needed to keep Colorado and San Francisco at bay. Vicente Padilla’s second strong start gave Los Angeles just the lift they needed to bounce back in game two.

Despite earning a no decision, Padilla had a huge impact on the game. In his second start, Padilla almost had a carbon copy performance of his debut win in Colorado. He worked 5 1-3 innings, gave up a single run, and struck out five. Not numbers that jump right out at you, but a shot of consistency in a staff that has been up and down lately. He has given them a solid start and great chance to win both times out. That is exactly what the Dodgers were asking of Padilla when they brought him on.

With Jon Garland now in the mix, Padilla’s outing against Arizona answered a lot of questions about his spot on the staff. After Tuesday, it looks like Padilla has pushed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger out to the rotation. With a starting staff that now features Billingsley, Kershaw, Wolf, Garland, and Padilla, the Dodgers rotation looks stronger now than it has all season.

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Your hat has to be off to Ned Colletti right now. He, like most anyone that watches Los Angeles, saw the huge problems with the starting rotation over the last few weeks. Instead of going after a huge name, Colletti solidified the bottom of the rotation with two proven veteran arms. You can say what you want about some of Colletti’s moves in the past, but you have to give the man credit for doing a heck of a job with the team this season.

By: Charles Dimino
Los Angeles Dodgers Correspondent

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