LOS ANGELES — When the in-game hosts at Dodger Stadium promote an upcoming series against the home team’s real rival, they mention “the hated Giants.”
That is not how the Padres are referred to here.
And why would they be?
Sunday served as the latest example of why not.
The Padres finished a winning road trip by losing another game and another series and another season series to the Dodgers.
The Padres made it close for a few minutes, scoring three times in the seventh inning, but the Dodgers immediately responded by scoring four runs to pull away for a 9-4 victory. (Box score.)
Close is what losing teams hold onto. Taking advantage of opportunities and stepping on throats is what winning teams do.
The Dodgers scored five runs in the fourth inning — on a home run, two walks, a hit batter, a sacrifice fly and a blooped two-run double that arguably should have been caught and certainly should not have driven in anyone.
Down 5-1, the Padres’ comeback began with Juan Soto’s first hit in 19 at-bats, a one-out single in the seventh. Josh Bell’s two-out single gave the Padres runners at the corners. A double by Jurickson Profar scored both runners, and Jake Cronenworth’s double scored Profar to make it 5-4. Matt Beaty was hit by a pitch before Trent Grisham was called out on a third strike that was well inside off the plate.
The Dodgers scored four runs before Adrian Morejón could get an out in the bottom of the inning, the final three on a home run by Trayce Thompson, who the Padres let go in May.
The victory completed the Dodgers’ seventh consecutive series win over the Padres, and it made them 10-3 against the Padres this season, clinching the season series between the teams for a 12th straight year. Sunday was the Padres’ 14th defeat in their past 16 games at Dodger Stadium.
The loss, the third in nine games on the trek to Kansas City, San Francisco and L.A., did not damage much more than the Padres’ pride.
The two teams directly behind them in the wild card race both lost Sunday. So, the Padres (74-61) remained in possession of the fifth of six National League playoff spots, a half-game ahead of the Phillies and three ahead of the Brewers.
The Dodgers (92-41) moved to within nine victories and/or Padres’ losses of clinching their ninth NL West title in 10 seasons.
The home team’s first big inning Sunday came against Padres starter Mike Clevinger, who effectively melted in the 100-degree heat.
After relatively minimal work to get through the first three innings — and with the Padres up 1-0 — Clevinger had his third pitch of the fourth inning smacked a projected 428 feet to the bleachers beyond left field by Will Smith.
Clevinger struck out Max Muncy and then threw just six strikes to the final four batters he faced.
Justin Turner walked on five pitches, Joey Gallo lined a 2-2 slider to right field and a 3-0 pitch from Clevinger hit Chris Taylor (evidently on the hand, though the ball shot off the bat as if it had squarely struck the handle) to load the bases. Ahead 1-2 on Cody Bellinger, Clevinger threw three straight balls to walk in the go-ahead run and end his day.
Mookie Betts hit a sacrifice fly off Luis Garcia, who then got a broken-bat flare into left field from Trea Turner that appeared might be the final out but instead fell between shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and left fielder Jurickson Profar. As it dropped, the ball caromed off Kim’s body and rolled far enough away that both Taylor and Bellinger scored to make it 5-1.
The Dodgers altered their pitching plans to give Andrew Heaney, whose turn it was in the rotation, some extra rest.
Caleb Ferguson served as their “opener” and struck out Kim, Juan Soto and Manny Machado, all looking at fastballs.
The Padres made new pitcher Ryan Pepiot actually work. He threw 25 pitches in the second inning and needed 35 to get through the third, after which the Padres led 1-0.
With two on and two out, Machado grounded a ball into the hole at shortstop, sprinted down and dove across the bag as Trea Turner’s throw bounced past first baseman Freddie Freeman. As the ball rolled toward the Padres’ dugout, Nola ran home. Machado was credited with an infield single, which extended his hitting streak to the entirety of the nine-game road trip.
Pepiot was pulled after walking Profar and Cronenworth to start the fourth inning. Reliever Alex Vesia struck out Matt Beaty and Trent Grisham and got Nola on a pop-up to third baseman Justin Turner.
Since the Padres last won a season series against the Dodgers, in 2010, the Dodgers have won 140 of the 211 games the teams have played. That is a .664 winning percentage.
