LOS ANGELES — A chance at a sixth consecutive National League West title is not quite hanging in the balance for the Los Angeles Dodgers Paul Molitor Jersey , but eyebrows have been raised and the calendar is making its presence known.When the Dodgers play host to the San Diego Padres for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning Friday, they will head into the matchup having lost nine of their last 12 games and 10 of their last 14. They opened the current homestand by getting swept in a three-game series against the surging St. Louis Cardinals.The three games this weekend are part of the seven games remaining for the Dodgers in August. Then come 27 games in September as the Dodgers try to rally from a 4 1/2-game deficit in the National League West and a 3 1/2-game deficit for the second NL wild-card spot.Article continues below ...“It sucks losing,” Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen said after Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Cardinals. “It sucks going 4 1/2 back. It sucks being in third place. But you’ve just got to be a man and deal with it, and step up Friday. We all need to step up.”Jansen took the loss in two of the three games against the Cardinals as he returned from the disabled list because of an irregular heartbeat only to give up three home runs total. St. Louis hit two home runs off Jansen on Monday and one Wednesday.The Dodgers’ bullpen woes started when Jansen went on the DL Aug. 10 as nobody could get a handle on the suddenly-vacant closer role, but now Jansen is scuffling upon his return.The Padres felt a bit of that Thursday when the Colorado Rockies’ Ian Desmond hit a game-ending, two-run homer off right-hander Kirby Yates, when a San Diego win was one out away. But overall in the second half, the Padres’ bullpen had been solid.The Padres entered play Thursday with a 2.89 ERA from its relievers in the second half, the best in the NL and second best in baseball to Oakland’s 2.63.“The names down there have changed a lot,” manager Andy Green said, according to Padres blog Friar Wire. “There are only a few guys who have been there from the beginning of the year. All the guys who have come up have done a really nice job. One through eight, there are good options down there.”The Padres will limp into Dodger Stadium on Friday as Christian Villanueva went on the DL with a fractured finger http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-tony-oliva-jersey , and Wil Myers was reduced to one at-bat in the past two games after he was hit in the face by a ground ball in batting practice Wednesday. And Hunter Renfroe has a sore right forearm after getting hit by a pitch Sunday.After Thursday’s 4-3 defeat, the Padres have lost eight of their past 10 games. They are 10-21 since the All-Star break. The Padres are just 4-9 against the Dodgers this season, having lost three of four in a series in L.A. in July.Left-hander Clayton Richard (7-10, 5.11 ERA) will pitch for the Padres on Friday, having gone 7-8 lifetime against the Dodgers in 26 appearances (24 starts) with a 4.51 ERA. Left-hander Rich Hill (5-4, 3.73) will start for the Dodgers, having worked 4-4 in nine career starts against the Padres with a 3.44 ERA. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It looked like a sure triple play. A double play, at least. In the end, the Detroit Tigers got just one out from it, and the Minnesota Twins made them pay.Johnny Field homered twice, Jorge Polanco hit a bases-loaded triple and the Twins beat the Tigers 11-4 on Wednesday night.The game turned on an odd play in the fifth inning with the Twins leading 6-4.With Robbie Grossman on second and Tyler Austin on first and nobody out, Twins manager Paul Molitor called for a hit-and-run.Willians Astudillo followed with a line drive right at second baseman Dawel Lugo http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-kent-hrbek-jersey , who threw to second to — it appeared — easily double off Grossman. Shortstop Ronny Rodriguez’s relay to first base seemed to beat Austin, but was in the dirt and Niko Goodrum couldn’t make the scoop.That’s when it got interesting.The Twins claimed Rodriguez was not touching second base when he took Lugo’s throw and a replay reversed the call, putting Grossman back on second.“I was closing my eyes hoping not to see a triple play, and I missed the play,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “A couple guys in the dugout said we want to check it . so our guys were on top of it and they picked it up right away.”Rodriguez was charged with the error, and it was a costly one. The Twins went on to score five runs in the inning, all with two outs. Chris Gimenez hit a two-run single, and after Joe Mauer walked to fill the bases, Polanco cleared them with a triple to the gap in left-center.“We had a triple play that turned into a five-run inning,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “That’s not good.”Austin also homered and Astudillo had three hits for the Twins.Christin Stewart tripled and drove in two runs for the Tigers.Tyler Duffey (2-2) earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief of starter Jake Odorizzi. Detroit starter Matthew Boyd (9-13) gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings.Field gave the Twins a 6-4 lead with his second home run of the game. The ball was originally ruled in play, but a video review showed that it barely cleared the fence before bouncing back onto the field.There was no such doubt on Field’s first home run. He led off the second by hitting Boyd’s first pitch off the facing of the second deck in left, giving the Twins a 4-1 lead.Austin’s two-run drive followed Robbie Grossman’s RBI single in the first inning. It was Austin’s 17th homer of the season and ninth since the Twins acquired him from the Yankees in a July 30 trade.The Tigers got RBI singles from Niko Goodrum and James McCann in the third inning Kennys Vargas Jersey , and Stewart tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.MORE FRUSTRATION FOR ODORIZZIThe Twins acquired Odorizzi in a February trade with the Rays, hoping that he’d stabilize the starting rotation and be a solid No. 2 or 3 starter. And he was durable, making 33 starts on the season. But he would agree that too many of them were like his outing on Wednesday.“Truth be told, I’ll probably forget about 2018 tomorrow,” said Odorizzi, who gave up four earned runs on six hits and five walks in just three innings. “I’m going to focus on next year, improving and getting back to the pitcher I am and that this team deserves.”Odorizzi finishes 2018 with a 7-10 record and a career-worst 4.49 ERA. The five free passes he issued on Wednesday also pushed his walk rate to 3.8 per nine innings, tying his highest total in his five major league seasons.“Take the good from this season,” Odorizzi said. “I made all my starts. I remained healthy. It was by no means a year that I’m proud of, but a year that I learned a lot from. So if I can make the adjustments next year and stay healthy, I’m in for a lot better and will show the fans a lot better too.”MOLITOR MILESTONEThe victory gave Molitor his 300th career managerial victory in his fourth season with the Twins.“It snuck up on me a little bit,” said Molitor Bert Blyleven Jersey , whose career record stands at 300-343. “I guess baseball likes round numbers. I’d rather get to 300 wins before you’ve already seen 300 losses, but that hasn’t been the case.”TRAINER’S ROOMTwins: Mitch Garver returned to action for the first time in two weeks, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning and playing first base in the ninth. He’d been out since Sept. 12, when he suffered a concussion after taking a foul tip off his mask while catching.UP NEXTTigers: LHP Francisco Liriano (5-11, 4.40) will pitch for Detroit on Thursday night in the series finale. Liriano lost consecutive starts against the Twins in August, giving up seven earned runs and walking seven in 6 2/3 innings.Twins: LHP Gabriel Moya (3-1, 4.72) will serve as the “opener” for the Twins on Thursday. LHP Stephen Gonsalves is among the likely candidates to pitch in relief of Moya.