SAN DIEGO -- Corey Seager finally got his chance to show what all the fuss is about, which he did, but he can't fix what ails a few struggling members of the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching staff. Then again, he just got here.
The highly touted shortstop made his major league debut a memorable one in a 10-7 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Field on Thursday night. The 21-year-old went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and looked reasonably smooth and comfortable playing shortstop even though -- at 6-foot-4 -- he towered over the infielders around him. The Dodgers couldn't pull out a win, however, because reliever Jim Johnson coughed up another late lead and Mat Latos got hit hard yet again.
How it happened: Latos’ hold on a rotation spot could be in jeopardy. If not, it probably should be. The Dodgers already skipped his turn in the rotation twice and he hasn’t pitched well since he got back. Meanwhile, Mike Bolsinger is back and might be getting his shot to replace Latos when he pitches here Friday. This may have been the low point of a rocky season for Latos. He gave up eight hits in four innings and the vast majority of them were well-struck line drives. Latos has a 6.56 ERA in four starts for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers rallied, however, after falling behind 4-0. They scored two runs in the fifth on RBI hits by Joc Pederson -- off pitcher Colin Rea’s shoulder -- and Chase Utley. They then batted around while scoring five in the sixth. Seager singled to center -- on a 3-and-0 pitch -- to drive in two runs and Utley hit a dribbler that reliever Mark Rzepczynski threw away for an error. Seager's first major-league hit came in his second at-bat. It was a line drive into the right field corner off Rea for a double.
Johnson allowed a two-run home run to Jedd Gyorko in the eighth inning and the Padres added a couple of more runs on pinch hitter Melvin Upton Jr.'s RBI triple and Yangervis Solarte's rocket-like double off Juan Nicasio. It was another rough night for a bullpen that had seemingly stabilized matters in the previous eight games.
What it means: If nothing else, the Dodgers may have sent the San Francisco Giants into a tailspin with this week's three-game sweep. The Dodgers didn't lose any ground -- their lead stayed at 6½ games with 29 to play -- because the Giants got blown out 11-3 in Colorado.
Notable: Manager Don Mattingly named the pitchers for the remainder of this series. Alex Wood will pitch Saturday and Brett Anderson will work Sunday afternoon. That means Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, two of the leading Cy Young contenders, will pitch the first two games of the Freeway Series in Anaheim next week. ... The Dodgers looked like they had turned a routine double play in the sixth inning, but second-base umpire Chris Conroy ruled that Utley missed the bag while making the pivot. That set off Mattingly, who argued for a while before asking for a replay review. The Dodgers lost that too. Typically, umpires call the runner out if the infielder is in the “neighborhood” of the bag. Such nuanced interpretations are lost in the replay process, however. ... Mattingly said Seager likely will play third base Friday night to give Justin Turner a day off.
Up next: The series continues Friday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Bolsinger (5-3, 2.83 ERA) makes his return to the Dodgers’ rotation after about a month in Triple-A following the trade that brought Latos and Wood to L.A. He’ll be opposed by San Diego ace James Shields (10-6, 3.78 ERA).