SAN DIEGO — They have completed the first step — like correctly filling out your name on the SAT.
The Dodgers clinched a postseason berth for the 10th consecutive season Sunday afternoon, doing it in well-worn fashion by beating the San Diego Padres 11-2 behind a two-homer, five-RBI day from Justin Turner.
The win cut the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch their ninth National League West title in that time down to two with 23 games left in the regular season. The second-place Padres are off Monday, so the Dodgers can’t secure the division before Tuesday, when they play in Arizona.