Max Scherzer records 3,000th strikeout, flirts with perfect game in Dodgers’ sweep
Max Scherzer zoomed past another signpost on the road to Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday, barely pausing to mark the 3,000th strikeout of a distinguished 14-year career that will culminate with his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
When the Dodgers right-hander whiffed Eric Hosmer with a full-count changeup in the fifth inning of an 8-0 victory over the San Diego Padres, catcher Will Smith tossed the milestone ball to the dugout and Scherzer doffed his cap to a roaring crowd of 42,637 in Chavez Ravine, the delay lasting all of about 20 seconds.
Scherzer had work to do, and his laser focus and disdain for distractions pushed the three-time Cy Young Award winner to the brink of even more history.
Scherzer retired the first 22 batters of the game, but five outs away from a perfect game — a feat accomplished by only 23 major leaguers — and with the drama and tension building with every out, he gave up a one-out double in the eighth to Hosmer, who laced a 2-and-1 changeup into the right-field corner.
Dodgers finish off three-game sweep with 8-0 victory
Top of the ninth inning:
Justin Bruihl takes over for Max Scherzer. Austin Nola grounds out to shortstop Corey Seager. Pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar grounds out to third baseman Justin Turner. Trent Grisham grounds out to Seager. The Dodgers complete the three-game sweep to remain 2 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West with 18 games left.
Final: Dodgers 8, Padres 0
Padres’ Austin Adams is a hit (batter) machine
Bottom of the eighth inning:
Austin Adams is in to pitch. Will Smith is hit by a pitch. Cody Bellinger doubles to right, moving Smith to third. Gavin Lux is hit by a 3-2 pitch. Matt Beaty pinch-hits for Scherzer, who gives up one hit and strikes out nine to lower his ERA to an MLB-best 2.17. Beaty strikes out on three pitches. Mookie Betts is hit by a pitch and Adams ties the major league record for hit batters in a season with 23. Max Muncy hits a sacrifice fly to left, Bellinger scoring to make it 8-0. Trea Turner, after nearly getting hit in the head, walks to load the bases. Justin Turner flies out to left.
Dodgers 8, Padres 0
Max Scherzer loses perfect game in eighth inning
Top of the eighth inning:
Fernando Tatis Jr. hits a fly ball to right that Mookie Betts, again dealing with the sun, catches for the first out. Eric Hosmer breaks up the perfect game with a double to the right-field corner. Tommy Pham grounds out to third baseman Justin Turner. Wil Myers strikes out.
Dodgers 6, Padres 0
Justin Turner breaks game open with three-run homer
Bottom of the seventh:
Gavin Lux singles to center. Max Scherzer moves Lux over with a sacrifice bunt. Emilio Pagan takes over on the mound. Mookie Betts hits a fly ball to right that Wil Myers loses in the sun. Betts reaches first on the hit and Lux moves to third. Max Muncy doubles to right, scoring Lux and moving Betts to third. Trea Turner grounds to third baseman Machado. Justin Turner hits a home run to left-center. Corey Seager flies out to left.
Dodgers 6, Padres 0
Max Scherzer is six outs from a perfect game
Top of the seventh inning:
Trent Grishman flies out to right fielder Mookie Betts, who does a good job of battling the sun. Adam Frazier flies out to left fielder Gavin Lux on a 3-2 pitch. On a 3-2 pitch, Manny Machado hits a tapper to the mound. Max Scherzer throws to Max Muncy for the out, completing the seventh perfect for Scherzer.
Dodgers 2, Padres 0
Max Scherzer is perfect through six innings
Top of the sixth inning:
Wil Myers strikes out looking on a 2-2 pitch. Austin Nola fouls out to catcher Will Smith. Pinch-hitter Jake Marisnick strikes out. Max Scherzer is perfect through six innings.
Bottom of the sixth:
Ryan Weathers is the new Padres pitcher. Cory Seager flies out to deep right. Will Smith strikes out looking. Cody Bellinger lines out to center field.
Dodgers 2, Padres 0
History for Max Scherzer, home run for Mookie Betts
Top of the fifth inning:
Fernando Tatis flies out to deep center, the ball caught by Cody Bellinger. Eric Hosmer becomes the answer to who became the 3,000th strikeout victim for Max Scherzer. Tommy Pham files out to right fielder Mookie Betts.
Bottom of the fifth:
Betts hits a home run to left. Max Muncy strikes out. Trea Turner strikes out. Justin Turner flies out to right field.
Dodgers 2, Padres 0
Mr. 3,000: Max Scherzer joins exclusive club
Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer became the 19th member of the 3,000 strikeout club when he fanned the Padres’ Eric Hosmer in the fifth inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
Scherzer came into game needing six to reach the milestone and got it with a 3-2 off-speed pitch that Hosmer swung through. After quick hat wave to the crowd, he quickly got back on the mound to face Tommy Pham.
12 up, 12 down for Max Scherzer; Dodgers lead 1-0
Top of the fourth inning:
Trent Grisham pops up to shortstop Corey Seager. Adam Frazier grounds out to first baseman Max Muncy. Manny Machado pops up to second baseman Trea Turner. Max Scherzer remains one strikeout from 3,000.
Bottom of the fourth:
Dinelson Lamet in to pitch for the Padres. Trea Turner strikes out. Justin Turner grounds out on a ball that deflects off Lamet to second baseman Frazier. Seager hits a home run to left-center for the first run of the game. Will Smith walks on a 3-1 pitch. Cody Bellinger pinch-hits for Steven Souza Jr. Bellinger walks on four pitches. Lamet is replaced by Pierce Johnson. Gavin Lux is intentionally walked. Max Scherzer grounds out to third baseman Machado.
Dodgers 1, Padres 0
Dodgers, Padres scoreless after three innings
Top of the third:
Wil Myers strikes out on a 3-2 pitch. Austin Nola grounds out to shortstop Corey Seager. Nabil Crismatt grounds out, Max Scherzer to first baseman Max Muncy.
Bottom of the third:
Gavin Lux singles to short right field, beating the throw from third baseman Manny Machado, who was stationed there. Max Scherzer strikes out on a failed bunt attempt. Mookie Betts grounds out to shortstop, Lux taking second. Max Muncy grounds out, catcher Nola to first baseman Eric Hosmer.
Dodgers 0, Padres 0
An immaculate inning leaves Max Scherzer two strikeouts from 3,000
Top of the second:
Fernando Tatis Jr. strikes out. Eric Hosmer strikes out on a 96-mph fastball. Tommy Pham strikes out and Max Scherzer completes an immaculate inning (nine pitches, nine strikes, three outs). He is two strikeouts short of 3,000 for his career.
Bottom of the second:
Corey Seager flies out to left field on the first pitch. Will Smith files out to deep left, Pham catching the ball at the top of the wall. Steven Souza Jr. strikes out on three pitches.
Dodgers 0, Padres 0
Padres’ Blake Snell leaves game with injury in first inning
Top of the first inning:
Max Scherzer pitching for the Dodgers. Trent Grisham strikes out on a 1-2 pitch. Adam Frazier flies out to right fielder Steven Souza Jr. Manny Machado flies out to center fielder Mookie Betts.
Bottom of the first:
Blake Snell pitching for the Padres. Betts flies out to left fielder Tommy Pham. Max Muncy flies out to Pham. With Trea Turner batting, Snell suffers an apparent leg injury on a 1-1 pitch and walks off the mound. Nabil Crismatt replaces Snell with a 2-1 count to Turner. Turner bloops a single just out of the reach of center fielder Grishman. With Justin Turner batting, Trea Turner steals second base. Justin Turner lines to Machado at third.
Dodgers 0, Padres 0
Series finale will feature marquee mound matchup: Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer vs. Padres left-hander Blake Snell
Two of baseball’s hottest pitchers will lock horns on Sunday in Chavez Ravine, where Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer will oppose San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell in a 1 p.m. game.
Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young Award winner, is 13-4 with a 2.28 ERA on the season, but he has been dominant since his July 30 trade from Washington, going 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA in seven starts for the Dodgers, striking out 63 and walking five in 43 innings while limiting opponents to a .177 average.
Scherzer, 37, will also be gunning for a piece of history — he is six strikeouts away from becoming the 19th major league pitcher to accumulate 3,000 strikeouts.
Of the 18 in baseball’s exclusive 3,000-strikeout club, all but four — Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander — are in the Hall of Fame. Sabathia retired after 2019 and is not yet eligible for Hall-of-Fame voting, and Verlander is still active.
“It’s consistent, elite performance, being healthy, taking the baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Scherzer’s milestone. “I know for him, for his family, it’s something that is highly anticipated, they’re excited about it, as they should be.
“But that’s gonna be one part of it. There’s going to be a moment, and we expect it to happen, but his sole purpose is to go out there and help us win a ballgame. But overall, the scope is quite the accomplishment.”
Snell, the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner with Tampa Bay, is 7-6 with a 4.22 ERA on the season but has been almost as good as Scherzer since Aug. 3, going 3-2 with a 1.85 ERA in seven starts, striking out 65 and walking 14 in 43 2/3 innings and limiting opponents to a .136 average.
He is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five career starts against the Dodgers, not including the 5 1/3 innings of one-run, two-hit, nine-strikeout, no-walk ball he threw for the Rays in Game 6 of the World Series last Oct. 27, a game the Dodgers won 3-1 to clinch their first championship since 1988.
The Dodgers will be without closer Kenley Jansen, who announced with his wife, Gianni, the birth of their third child, a daughter named Key’Gia Keziah Jansen, Sunday morning.
Jansen couldn’t have timed the delivery any better — the right-hander, who retired the side in order in the ninth inning of Saturday night’s 5-4 win for his 32nd save, pitched in the previous three games and probably wouldn’t have been available on Sunday.
Roberts said he expects Jansen, who was placed on paternity leave before the game, to return to the team in time for Tuesday night’s game against Arizona. Right-hander Mitch White was recalled to take Jansen’s spot on the roster.
DODGERS LINEUP: CF Mookie Betts, 1B Max Muncy, 2B Trea Turner, 3B Justin Turner, SS Corey Seager, C Will Smith, RF Steven Souza Jr., LF Gavin Lux, RHP Max Scherzer.
PADRES LINEUP: CF Trent Grisham, 2B Adam Frazier, 3B Manny Machado, SS Fernando Tatis Jr., 1B Eric Hosmer, LF Tommy Pham, RF Wil Myers, C Austin Nola, LHP Blake Snell.
Mookie Betts and Joe Kelly come up big for Dodgers in win over Padres
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Trea Turner has been with the Dodgers for only six weeks, and he’s already running out of bandwidth to accommodate questions about the San Francisco Giants, the National League West leaders who never seem to lose.
Asked on Saturday how the Dodgers can close the gap on their division rivals, the second baseman, acquired from the Washington Nationals on July 30, launched into his answer before a reporter completed his question.
“Stop talking about them,” Turner said. “I’ve heard so much about the Giants for the last month and a half. You focus on what’s in front of you, and unless you’re playing them, they’re not in front of you.”
The Giants were not in front of the Dodgers on Saturday night, having completed their 19-game season series against them last weekend in San Francisco.
Kenley Jansen picks up the save as Dodgers defeat Padres 5-4
Kenley Jansen retired the Padres in order in the ninth to preserve a 5-4 victory at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
Jansen got Victor Caratini to ground out, forced Austin Nola into an infield popup and then struck out Trent Grisham on a called third strike to end the game.
Mookie Betts drove in four of the Dodgers’ five runs, three of which came on a home run in the fifth inning.
The Dodgers improved to 90-53 and will go for the sweep on Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
Dodgers hold on to 5-4 lead after Joe Kelly bails them out
San Diego’s Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. each drove in runs off reliever Blake Treinen to cut the Dodgers’ lead to 5-4 in the eighth inning. Joe Kelly then prevented the Padres from tying the game by striking out Wil Myers and Tommy Pham to leave Tatis stranded at third.
Adam Frazier scored the first run of the inning for the Padres after Treinen hit him with a pitch. Frazier then stole second and ran home when Machado singled into center field.
After stealing second, Machado scored on Tatis’ single to left, easily beating left fielder Steven Souza Jr.’s throw to home. Tatis took second on Souza’s throw and advanced to third on an Eric Hosmer ground out to short.
Kelly then replaced Treinen and got two huge strikeouts to keep the Dodgers ahead.
Dodgers: Padres reliever Daniel Hudson retires the Dodgers in order, striking out Matt Beaty and Max Muncy in the process, to send the game into the ninth.
End of the eighth: Dodgers 5, Padres 4
Dodgers hold onto 5-2 lead going into the eighth inning
Dodgers: It’s a 1-2-3 inning at the plate, capped off with Steven Souza Jr. hitting into a 6-3 double play off Padres reliever Tim Hill.
Padres: For the second time in as many innings, Walker Buehler got away with giving up a leadoff double. Tommy Pham doubled to left but the Padres then went down in order, with Mookie Betts making a nice running catch on a Trent Grisham laser to right.
Buehler will give way to Blake Treinen in the eighth. Bueler allowed two earned runs, six hits, walked two and struck out five over seven innings.
End of the seventh: Dodgers 5, Padres 2
Walker Buehler holds back Padres in the sixth
Dodgers: The Dodgers went down in order, with Justin Turner grounded out down the third-base line.
Padres: Manny Machado hit a leadoff double off the wall in center field, barely managing to beat Cody Bellinger’s throw to second (Machado was initially called out until the call was reversed on video review). But he was left stranded when Walker Buehler struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. and got Eric Hosmer and Wil Meyers to ground out.
End of the sixth: Dodgers 5, Padres 2
Mookie Betts hits three-run home run to put the Dodgers back into the lead
Mookie Betts hit a three-run home run off Padres reliever Craig Stammen to give the Dodgers a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning.
Betts’ 20th home run of the season came on the Stammen’s first pitch out of the bullpen, a 93-mph slider that Betts sent into the left-field pavilion.
It was the pinnacle of a two-out surge for the Dodgers, which began when Gavin Lux lined a single up the middle for his second hit of the game. After Padres starter Chris Paddock walked Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler, the Padres put Stammen on the mound. After giving up the homer, Stammen got Max Muncy to ground out to first and end the inning.
Padres: Walker Buehler struck out Victor Caratini, but was left frustrated after walking Paddock. The Padres couldn’t generate anything, however, after Trent Grisham grounded into a force out to get Paddack out at second before Adam Frazier grounded out.
End of the fifth: Dodgers 5, Padres 2
Fernando Tatis Jr. hits two-run home run for Padres
Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run home run off Dodgers starter Walker Buehler to tie the game 2-2 in the fourth inning.
Tatis’ 38th home run of the season drove in Manny Machado, who reached base on a single to left field. Eric Hosmer followed the home run with a double that was misplayed by left fielder Gavin Lux, who overran the ball. But Hosmer was left stranded when Wil Myers struck out and Tommy Pham lined out to right.
Dodgers: Trea Turner flied out to right and Corey Seager grounded out to short before Justin Turner struck out.
End of the fourth: Padres 2, Dodgers 2
Gavin Lux, Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts help Dodgers take the lead
Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts each drove in runs to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Lux hit a run-scoring double off Padres starter Chris Paddack that plated an aggressive-running Cody Bellinger for the Dodgers’ first run. Lux then scored when Mookie Betts hit a sacrifice fly to center.
Bellinger drew a leadoff walk before Lux lined the ball into left field. Bellinger, sprinting from first, beat Tommy Pham’s throw and slid into home under the tag of Padres catcher Victor Caratini. It was Lux’s 11th double of the season. Lux was recalled from triple-A on Friday.
Chris Paddack struck out Max Muncy to end the frame.
Padres: Walker Buehler looking sharp so far for the Dodgers, striking out Chris Paddack and Trent Grisham to make it another 1-2-3 frame. Buehler stands at 35 pitches through three innings.
End of the third: Dodgers 2, Padres 0
Dodgers and Padres scoreless heading into the third inning
Dodgers: Corey Seager grounded out and Justin Turner and Will Smith each flied out to keep it a scoreless game.
Padres: Dodgers second baseman Trea Turner made an impressive pivot to start a 4-6-3 double play that snagged Fernando Tatis Jr. and Eric Hosmer. With two outs on two pitches, Walker Buehler then walked Wil Myers before Tommy Pham grounded out to third.
End of the second: Padres 0, Dodgers 0
Walker Buehler retires the Padres in order in the first
Dodgers at the plate: Mookie Betts led off with a single to left field off Padres starter Chris Paddack, but he was picked off by catcher Victor Caratini while trying to steal second. Max Muncy started off the strikeout double-play that ended Betts’ foray on the basepaths before Trea Turner lined out to center.
Padres at the plate: Dodgers starter Walker Buehler retires the first three batters of the game in order, getting Trent Grisham and Adam Frazier to fly out before Manny Machado hit into a ground out to third.
End of the first: Padres 0, Dodgers 0
Danny Duffy aggravates elbow injury; chances of veteran left-hander pitching this season appear remote
Danny Duffy, a veteran left-hander whom manager Dave Roberts has touted as a possible “two-inning monster,” for the Dodgers in September and October, aggravated an elbow injury during Friday’s bullpen session, and his chances of pitching this season appear remote.
“It doesn’t look great,” Roberts said before Saturday night’s game against the San Diego Padres in Dodger Stadium. “Outside of any type of miracle, for him to impact us this year, it’s going to be tough.”
The Dodgers acquired Duffy, 32, from the Kansas City Royals on July 29. Duffy was on the injured list because of a flexor strain at the time, but he was expected to return in late-August or early September.
Though he has been a starter for most of his 11-year career, the Dodgers thought he could serve in a high-leverage, multi-inning relief role, much like Julio Urías has in recent seasons.
Duffy is 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA in 13 games — 12 of them starts — this season, with 65 strikeouts and 22 walks in 61 innings. A graduate of Cabrillo High School in Lompoc and a third-round pick of the Royals in 2007, he has a 68-68 career record and 3.95 ERA. Duffy is making $15.5 million this season and will be a free agent this winter.
Slumping Cody Bellinger gets the start over ailing Chris Taylor
Cody Bellinger is back in the lineup for Saturday night’s game against the San Diego Padres in Chavez Ravine, one day after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was going to give the slumping center fielder “a few days to work through some things.”
The reason? Chris Taylor aggravated a nagging neck injury making a leaping catch at the wall Friday night and might not be available for the 6:10 p.m. game.
“My plan was to give [Bellinger] a few days to reset, and like all plans, they can be amended at times for various reasons,” Roberts said. “C.T. can’t go today. I felt to give us the best chance today, I wanted Cody in there.”
Bellinger, slowed by his recovery from off-season right-shoulder surgery and a broken left tibia he suffered in early April, is batting .158 with a .524 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, nine homers and 33 RBIs on the season.
Trevor Bauer won’t pitch again this season, and certainly not again for the Dodgers, who must face the consequences for signing him for years to come.
The 2019 National League most valuable player has been in an even deeper slump since mid-August, batting .077 (five for 65) with a .166 OPS, no extra-base hits, four RBIs, 16 strikeouts and one walk in his previous 22 games.
Bellinger did an extensive on-field workout on Saturday afternoon with the team’s hitting coaches and several baseball operations staff members.
“There’s a physical component, a mechanical component, so getting out there with the hitting guys, the baseball ops guys, being open to what’s working for him, what swing … there are different things we’re trying to dig in to what can potentially give him better opportunities to be more consistent,” Roberts said.
“For me, the openness that Cody is having to trying to really figure some things out, and not go with the mindset to continue to do what hasn’t been working … I think that mindset, in the longer term, that willingness to evolve with his swing, combined with where his body is at physically, is huge.
“It’s kind of the secret sauce we have, the collaboration of coaches, performance guys, baseball ops guys, and everyone looking at it from different angles to make the player better. He had a good workday [Friday]. He had a good one today. I’m certain he’s gonna help us win a baseball game tonight.”
DODGERS LINEUP: RF Mookie Betts, 1B Max Muncy, 2B Trea Turner, SS Corey Seager, 3B Justin Turner, C Will Smith, CF Cody Bellinger, LF Gavin Lux, RHP Walker Buehler.
PADRES LINEUP: CF Trent Grisham, 2B Adam Frazier, 3B Manny Machado, SS Fernando Tatis Jr., 1B Eric Hosmer, RF Wil Myers, LF Tommy Pham, C Victor Caratini, RHP Chris Paddack.
Betting odds and lines for Dodgers vs. Padres on Saturday
The Dodgers got their fourth straight win against the San Diego Padres on Friday and will try to continue that trend on Saturday with Walker Buehler on the mound.
Against the San Francisco Giants in his last start, Buehler’s gave up six runs in three innings. It snapped his streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer in 19 consecutive starts.
The money has come in on him to bounce back to the form that has helped him amass a 13-3 record and MLB’s second-best ERA among qualifying starters at 2.31, as the Dodgers opened at DraftKings at -180 and we’re -210 overnight.
The Padres turn to Chris Paddack to continue and exceed his 2021 road form. He has a 3.74 ERA and a 4-2 record away from Petco Field and a 6.33 ERA and 3-4 record at home.
The Padres are averaging the fewest runs per game of any team in the National League since Aug. 1 at 4.1. The Dodgers have played just three games over the total in their last 24, which is reflected in the overnight total of eight despite the Dodgers being the only team in the National League averaging at least five runs per game.
Signing Trevor Bauer is the most embarrassing move the Dodgers have ever made
He won’t pitch again this season, but the shame he showered upon his franchise will endure forever.
He once took the mound with limitless promise yet now will walk off in legendary disgrace.
Trevor Bauer is officially the biggest embarrassment in Los Angeles Dodgers history.
This was certified Friday when Major League Baseball and the players’ union agreed to extend Bauer’s two-month paid leave through the end of the season amid sexual assault allegations.
The league is continuing its investigation, and Bauer’s legal status is unresolved, so it was smartly determined that Bauer should remain sidelined at least until 2022.
MLB wins leader Julio Urías shows off his 20-win potential in Dodgers’ victory
Highlights from the Dodgers’ 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
Julio Urías could be the only 20-game winner in the major leagues this season.
He leads the majors with 17 victories, with three weeks left to play. No one else has more than 15.
He could become the first National League pitcher to win 20 games in five years.
He is 17-3, leading the majors in winning percentage. In the second half, with his team trying to come from behind to win a division championship, he is undefeated, with a 1.74 earned-run average.
In another era, with wins above all, Urías might be a runaway favorite for the Cy Young award. Today, Urías appears to be running third in the Cy Young derby — third on his own team, that is.
He was first in the Dodgers’ hearts on Friday, stopping the San Diego Padres on three hits over seven shutout innings of a 3-0 victory. Max Muncy hit a two-run home run, his 32nd home run of the season and second in three days, and the Dodgers remained 21/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
Kenley Jansen picks up the save in 3-0 win over Padres
Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen got Jurickson Profar to bunt into a pop out to Justin Turner before Austin Nola flied out to shallow right. Adam Frazier followed with a single into left field.
Frazier quickly stole second and then moved to third on a Jansen balk.
Jansen picked up his 31st save of the season when Eric Hosmer grounded out to short. The Dodgers improved to 89-53 and Julio Urías picked up his MLB-leading 17th win. The Padres fell to 74-66.
Final score: Dodgers 3, Padres 0
Blake Treinen gets out of jam to keep it 3-0 Dodgers going into the ninth
Dodgers: Padres reliever Austin Adams got Corey Seager to ground out, struck out Justin Turner and forced Will Smith into a pop out.
Padres: Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen struck out Wil Myers with a perfectly placed slider to defuse a two-out jam in the eighth inning.
After Treinen benefited from a generous third-strike call by home plate umpire Pat Hoberg on Trent Grisham, Ha-Seong Kim singled against the shift on a dribbler through the right side of the infield. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with single to right that moved Kim to third. Tatis Jr. then stole second but went no further after Treinen caught Myers on an 87-mph slider.
Kenley Jansen will pitch the ninth.
End of the eighth: Dodgers 3, Padres 0
Julio Urías caps off strong night with 1-2-3 seventh inning
Dodgers: The Dodgers go down in order, thanks in part, to Manny Machado playing in the shift and taking away what normally would have been a base hit for Max Muncy.
Padres: Another 1-2-3 inning for Dodgers starter Julio Urías, who has allowed three hits and struck out seven over 94 pitches. Blake Treinen will take over for Urías on the mound in the eighth.
End of the seventh: Dodgers 3, Padres 0
Dodgers hold onto 3-0 lead heading into the seventh inning
Dodgers: Corey Seager led off with a walk before Padres starter Joe Musgrove hit Will Smith with a pitch. Seager then advanced to third when Jurickson Profar made a bad throw to second after stealing a hit from Gavin Lux with a leaping catch.
San Diego then intentionally walked Chris Taylor to get to Julio Urìas, who struck out with the bases loaded.
Padres: Wil Myer hit a two-out double that bounced off the top of Chris Taylor’s glove as he tried to make a leaping catch in center field. Myer went nowhere after Jurickson Profar grounded out to end the inning.
Urías struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. on three pitches for the inning’s second out and is up to seven strikeouts and 82 pitches.
End of the sixth: Dodgers 3, Padres 0
Chris Taylor makes a thrilling catch at the wall
Dodgers: After Mookie Betts walked, Max Muncy grounded out into a 4-6-3 double play before Padres starter Joe Musgrove struck out Trea Turner to send the game into the sixth.
Padres: Chris Taylor made a jumping catch at the wall in left center field to stymie Manny Machado of a potential run-scoring hit for the final out in the top of the fifth inning. Taylor tracked the ball well and managed to get underneath it before it hit the wall.
Machado’s fly didn’t look like it would leave the yard, but it could have potentially scored Adam Frazier, who led off the inning with a blooper to shallow right off Julio Urías.
End of the fifth: Dodgers 3, Padres 0
Dodgers score another run in the fourth inning
Chris Taylor drove in a run on a sacrifice fly off Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Will Smith led off with a double off the wall in left-center field that got behind a leaping Trent Grisham. The ball hit near the top of the wall, less than a foot away from going out.
Smith then advanced to third on a wild pitch by Musgrove before Taylor drove him in on a popup to Wil Myers in left field. Musgrove struck out Julio Urías to end the inning.
Padres: It was another 1-2-3 inning for Urías, who has allowed one hit and struck out five over 62 pitches through four innings.
End of the fourth: Dodgers 3, Padres 0
Max Muncy crushes his 32nd home run of the season
Max Muncy hit a two-run home run off Padres starter Joe Musgrove to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Muncy crushed his 32nd home run of the season deep into the pavilion bleachers in right-center field. Mookie Betts scored on Muncy’s homer after he picked up the Dodgers’ first hit with a one-out liner to center for a single.
Corey Seager followed Muncy’s homer with a single to left field before Justin Turner flied out to deep center for the final out.
Padres: Trent Grisham and Manny Machado each grounded out to lead off the frame. Julio Urías then hit Jake Cronenworth on the hand with an 88-mph pitch. Despite being in pain, Cronenworth was able to take first, but his stint on the basepaths ended quickly when Urías struck out Fernando Tatis Jr.
End of the third: Dodgers 2, Padres 0
Julio Urías looks sharp in the second inning of scoreless game
Dodgers: Justin Turner and Gavin Lux drew walks from Padres starter Joe Musgrove before Chris Taylor struck out to leave them stranded.
Padres: Julio Urías put together another ho-hum inning. He struck out Jurickson Profar, then got Austin Nola to fly out to center field before hitting Adam Frazier with a pitch. Joe Musgrove lined out to Lux in left field for the third out.
End of the second: Padres 0, Dodgers 0
Dodgers and Padres scoreless after the first inning
Dodgers: Fernando Tatis Jr. made the first two outs on flies to right field — including a jumping grab on Max Muncy’s popup to the wall that was just short of a home run. Trea Turner then flied out to center field to cap the inning.
Padres: Julio Urías opened the game by striking out Trent Grisham. He then walked former Dodger Manny Machado before Jake Cronenworth filed out to second. After Fernando Tatis singled, Urías struck out Wil Myers to end San Diego’s first foray at the plate.
End of the first: Padres 0, Dodgers 0
Cody Bellinger out, Gavin Lux in for Dodgers
Cody Bellinger is a Gold Glove outfielder. Gavin Lux never has played the outfield in his major league career.
The Dodgers have offered Lux two chances to stake his claim as their second baseman. He failed both times. His career batting average is .217.
For now, however, Bellinger has gone so wrong at bat that the Dodgers have removed him from the lineup. Lux played left field in a triple-A game Thursday — his first professional start at the position — and the Dodgers recalled him Friday and started him in left field.
This, at a critical time of the season: The Dodgers opened play Friday three games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West, with 21 games to play. The deficit is the Dodgers’ largest since Aug. 18.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Bellinger would not play for several days.
“I’m going to give Cody a few days to work through some things,” Roberts said.
Bellinger, the 2019 National League most valuable player, is 0 for September
He has no home runs since Aug. 11 and no extra-base hits since Aug. 17. His batting average of .158 and OPS of .524 are the lowest among major leaguers with at least 300 plate appearances.
At one point, the Dodgers planned to platoon Bellinger, but then A.J. Pollock was injured. Lux, like Bellinger, bats left-handed.
Although Lux had played one game in left field and one in center field at triple A, Roberts said Lux had worked out extensively in the outfield. Roberts also said Lux could see time at second base and third base as well.
Beyond this season, Roberts said, the Dodgers still see him as an everyday player.
To clear a roster spot for Lux, the Dodgers returned pitcher Andre Jackson to triple-A Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers’ lineup for Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres:
Mookie Betts, RF
Max Muncy, 1B
Trea Turner, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Will Smith, C
Gavin Lux, LF
Chris Taylor, CF
Julio Urias, P
Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer’s leave extended through end of season
With decisions on possible criminal charges and a potential suspension still pending, Major League Baseball and the players union agreed Friday to extend Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer’s paid leave from the team through the end of the season.
Bauer has not pitched for the Dodgers since June 28, the day before a woman accused him of sexual assault and obtained a temporary restraining order against him. Bauer was placed on leave July 2, and the leave now has been extended nine times.
The short-term extensions — usually, a week at a time — had provided a path for Bauer to seek reinstatement if he were not charged. However, with three weeks left in the regular season, Bauer’s legal status unresolved and the league continuing its investigation into the allegations, there was no realistic way for Bauer to return in time to pitch effectively this season.
Betting odds and lines for Dodgers vs. Padres on Friday
After a pair of losses in St. Louis, the Dodgers return home Friday to face a San Diego Padres team that is 5-11 in their last 16 road games.
The Dodgers send MLB wins leader Julio Urías to the mound, who has been a bit less effective in Los Angeles than on the road, going 4-1 with a 3.78 ERA at home compared to 12-2 with a 2.64 ERA on the road.
The Padres counter with Joe Musgrove, who has been an underdog just four times this season, priced at +135 overnight at DraftKings, which would eclipse the largest plus price he has closed at this season.
Musgrove is 2-2 in the role of an underdog with three of those starts going over the total, which opened at 7.5 at DraftKings for Friday and moved to eight overnight. The Padres are 6-2 in Musgrove’s last eight starts with Musgrove posting a 2.87 ERA and a 10-8 record overall this season.
The Dodgers have the best bullpen ERA in MLB since the All-Star break. It is a league-best 1.98 over the last 30 days with just three of their last 23 games going over the total.
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ICYMI: Dodgers still mired in Giants’ wake after lackluster finale vs. Cardinals
Highlights from the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
ST LOUIS — The Dodgers are on the wrong side of a tight division race they didn’t expect, still trying to chase down their bitter rivals to the north even with the second-best record in the National League. If they don’t finish in first place, their World Series title defense could end Oct. 6 in the wild-card game. It’s a risk they want to avoid.
You wouldn’t have known that watching their 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. The Dodgers lacked urgency, from their lineup creation to the performance between the lines at Busch Stadium. The offense continued its malaise, squandering another strong showing from the pitching staff against a middling club on the fringes of playoff contention.
The lackluster performance dropped them to 2½ games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West with 21 games remaining.
“Looking at where we’re at,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “it’s very disappointing.”