Dodgers show the Padres who’s boss in the NL West with three-game sweep
All that hype about the Padres coming into this season?
The Dodgers made it look like a bunch of hot air over the last 10 days.
After eking out a series win in San Diego last weekend, the Dodgers emphatically swept their National League West rivals this weekend in Los Angeles, earning their fifth straight win over the Padres, and fifth consecutive victory overall, with a 4-0 shutout Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
Rather than run away with the division crown, as many pundits predicted entering the season, the Padres are seven games back of the Dodgers in the NL West standings.
Dodgers sweep Padres to extend winning streak to five games
⚾ Dodgers 4, Padres 0 — FINAL
Top of the ninth: Dodgers reliever Justin Bruihl struck out Juan Soto before Xander Bogaerts doubled on a liner to left field. Jake Cronenworth grounded out to first, moving Bogaerts to third. Nelson Cruz struck out to end the game.
Tony Gonsolin earned the win, allowing two hits and striking out six over five shutout innings. Mookie Betts hit a two-run home run in the third and Miguel Vargas hit a two-run double in the sixth for a Dodgers team that mustered just four hits. Dodgers pitchers held the Padres to three hits.
The Dodgers, who have the best record in the National League at 26-15, open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
Dodgers head into the ninth inning with a four-run lead
⚾ Dodgers 4, Padres 0 — End of the eighth inning
Top of the eighth: Trent Grisham grounded out and Brett Sullivan flied out before Victor González walked Fernando Tatis Jr. Brusdar Graterol then took over on the mound and got Manny Machado to ground out, ending the inning.
Bottom of the eighth: Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman grounded out and J.D. Martinez flied out, sending the game into the ninth.
Dodgers lead Padres 4-0 heading into the eighth inning
⚾ Dodgers 4, Padres 0 — End of the seventh inning
Top of the seventh: Victor González relieved Yency Almonte and oversaw a 1-2-3 inning. Jake Cronenworth grounded out, Nelson Cruz grounded out and Ha-Seong Kim struck out.
Bottom of the seventh: James Outman struck out and Miguel Rojas and Austin Barnes flied out.
Miguel Vargas’ two-run double extends Dodgers’ lead
⚾ Dodgers 4, Padres 0 — End of the sixth
Top of the sixth: Yency Almonte took over for Tony Gonsolin on the mound and oversaw another 1-2-3 inning. Gonsolin allowed two hits, walked one and struck out six over five innings and 85 pitches.
Bottom of the sixth: Mookie Betts flied out before Freddie Freeman picked up the Dodger’s third hit of the game on a single to right. After J.D. Martinez flied out, Ryan Weathers’ afternoon on the mound ended when he walked Max Muncy. Facing Brent Honeywell, Miguel Vargas hit a first-pitch, two-run double down the left-field line to score Freeman and Muncy. Chris Taylor grounded out to cap the inning.
Dodgers hold 2-0 lead heading into the sixth inning
⚾ Dodgers 2, Padres 0 — End of the fifth
Top of the fifth: Tony Gonsolin benefited from another outside-the-zone, third-strike call on Ha-Seong Kim before Trent Grisham flied out to center.
Bottom of the fifth: The Dodgers are retired in order.
Tony Gonsolin looking sharp so far against the Padres
⚾ Dodgers 2, Padres 0 — End of the fourth
Top of the fourth: Tony Gonsolin oversees a 1-2-3 inning, retiring Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth and Nelson Cruz. Gonsolin has allowed two hits, one walk and has struck out five over 66 pitches.
Bottom of the fourth: The Dodgers also go down in order, with Max Muncy popping out, Miguel Vargas flying out and Chris Taylor striking out.
Mookie Betts’ ninth home run of season powers Dodgers into lead
⚾ Dodgers 2, Padres 0 — End of the third
Top of the third: Trent Grishman doubled to center field. Tony Gonsolin then struck out Brett Sullivan before walking Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado popped out behind second base. Juan Soto then flied out to center to end the inning and prolong the Padres’ struggles with runners in scoring position.
Bottom of the third: Miguel Rojas lined the ball to the left-field wall for a leadoff double. It was his first extra-base hit since opening day. Mookie Betts then hit a two-run home run 413 feet over the wall in left-center field to give the Dodgers the lead. Betts has six home runs in his last 15 games, with three homers against the Padres this season. Freddie Freeman grounded out and J.D. Martinez flied out to end the inning.
Dodgers and Padres scoreless after first inning
Padres 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the first inning
Top of the first: Fernando Tatis Jr. led off with a ground-rule double off Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin, sending the ball bouncing over the wall in the left-field corner. Manny Machado grounded out to short. Gonsolin catches a break on a full-count pitch outside the zone that was called for a third strike on Juan Soto. After Soto and home plate umpire Bill Miller exchanged words over the call, Gonsolin struck out Xander Bogaerts to end the inning.
Bottom of the first: Mookie Betts drew a walk off San Diego starter Ryan Weathers before Freddie Freeman flied out to center. J.D. Martinez then lined out into a 5-4-3 double play.
Clayton Kershaw’s mother dies; he plans to pitch Tuesday
Despite the death of his mother on Saturday, Clayton Kershaw is still planning to make his next scheduled start for the Dodgers on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said.
“He’s doing OK,” Roberts said Sunday, ahead of the Dodgers Mother’s Day game against the San Diego Padres. “I’m sure this is a day he has a heavy heart. But as far as I understand, he’ll make his start on Tuesday.”
Kershaw’s mom, Marianne, died Saturday morning.
Saturday recap: J.D. Martinez and Julio Urías help Dodgers defeat Padres to remain on a roll
Like many of his teammates, Freddie Freeman already seemed tired of the topic.
Asked Friday night about the significance of the Dodgers’ early success against the star-studded San Diego Padres — particularly in the wake of the Padres’ all-in offseason acquisitions and playoff elimination of the Dodgers last October — the first baseman followed an organization-wide lead.
He downplayed any discussion about the rivalry. He sidestepped any cliches or bulletin-board declarations. Instead, he kept his focus fixed on his own team, which has ridden a two-week hot streak to an early spot atop the National League West standings.
“I don’t know,” Freeman said of the Padres. “I mean, I’m happy they’re going for it. I don’t mind it. They want to win. That’s fine. But we got a really good team over here too. We’ve been playing good baseball the last couple weeks. We’re not trying to play the opponent. We play our game.”
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
