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Mike Clevinger was possibly the most culpable member of the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS as the team handed the game to the LA Dodgers.
Clevinger was the man who got the ball for the Padres. He is due to take the mound for the second time in the postseason for Game 4 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Can he improve on his NLCS showing?
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"Mike Clevinger's only start vs. the Phillies in 2022 (May 17 at Citizens Bank Park) 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K" - @ Talking Friars
Going into the NLDS, the San Diego Padres were riding high. The team triumphed over the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Series and were ready to take on the Dodgers, their NL West foe.
The Padres finished 22 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West this season. Fate had it that they had another chance to play their cross-state rival.
Mike Clevinger got the ball for the San Diego Padres as they took the field for their first NLDS since 1998. He started 23 games for the Padres in the 2022 regular season and finished with a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 4.33.
In Game 1 against the Dodgers, Clevinger gave up a home run to the second batter he faced, Trea Turner. After giving up a couple more runs, Clevinger was eventually pulled after giving up an RBI double to Gavin Lux, making it 4-0 for the Dodgers.
"Sunshine in Philadelphia" - @ San Diego Padres
He will now try and press the reset button. The Phillies are not seen as the hitting powerhouse that the Dodgers are, but the team has been hitting very well. The Phillies are hitting .239 as a team, the second-best in the postseason. Phillies star Bryce Harper is hitting .400 with four home runs.
Can Mike Clevinger turn it all around?
That remains to be seen. Clevinger has a career 5.74 ERA in 15.2 postseason innings. Clevinger's only start of the year against the Phillies came in May, where he went five innings without surrendering an earned run.
It could be that the showing against the Dodgers was a mere hiccup, or perhaps he just does not have the nerve to perform in the playoffs. Either way, Clevinger will be keen to clinch his first career postseason win on Saturday night.
