Dodgers sweep Padres and take control of the West Division with two games of advantage
Los Angeles completes sweep and takes two-game lead in the West Division
The Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of a key hit by Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to defeat the San Diego Padres 5-4 at Dodger Stadium. The star outfielder's solo home run broke the tie and sealed the three-game sweep, allowing them to regain sole possession of the NL West lead.
The game had dramatic overtones. The Dodgers started strong and punished starter Yu Darvish from the start. Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer with two strikes, and Andy Pages added a solo shot in the first inning, making it 4-0 for the Los Angeles team. Tyler Glasnow, who started the game, worked five innings, allowing six hits and two runs. However, after the initial offensive outburst, the home offense completely shut down. Between the second and fifth innings, they failed to apply additional pressure, and little by little San Diego closed the gap with a run in the third, another in the fifth, and one more in the sixth. The Dodgers' bullpen also failed to contain the game, and in the eighth inning the Padres tied the game at 4-4 after a double by Ramon Laureano and a groundout by Jose Iglesias that drove in the tie.
The decisive reaction and the new top in the West
When it seemed that the momentum was on the visitors' side, Betts took an at-bat in the bottom of the eighth and punished Robert Suarez with a home run that gave the Angels the lead back. It was his 23rd hit of the season and, in a key moment, it restored confidence to a player who had been dealing with offensive ups and downs. Alex Vesia came in from the bullpen and was in charge of stopping San Diego's comeback to secure the victory. The loss fell on Darvish's record, as he allowed four runs and three hits in four innings. For the Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr. went 1-for-5 with one RBI, While Venezuelan Luis Arraez shone with a 5-4 day.
With this victory, the Dodgers improve their record to 71-53 and extend their lead over the Padres (69-55) to two games, in addition to securing the tiebreaker in head-to-head matches. Dave Roberts' team will visit Colorado in a four-game series before facing San Diego again, this time at Petco Park.