The Los Angeles Dodgers edged the San Diego Padres 8-7 in 10 innings on Monday night at Petco Park in the first matchup of the season between the National League West rivals. Andy Pages and Tommy Edman delivered pivotal hits in extra innings to secure the win for Los Angeles, which opened a stretch of seven meetings with San Diego over 11 days.
Pages, continuing his run of timely hitting, opened the 10th inning with an RBI double off Wandy Peralta, driving in Max Muncy to break a 6-6 tie. Edman followed with a sharply hit ground ball that took an unexpected bounce off second base, allowing Pages to score what proved to be the deciding run. The Dodgers were listed as slight road favorites at -125 on the moneyline entering the contest, with the run total closing around 9.5.
San Diego managed to respond in the bottom half of the 10th with an RBI double by Jackson Merrill, but closer Tanner Scott sealed the win for Los Angeles by earning his 12th save of the season. Scott was called upon after a clean ninth inning by Kirby Yates, who recorded two strikeouts to improve his record to 4-2.
The high-scoring affair featured early offense from both clubs. Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a 111-mph double and came around to score on Freddie Freeman’s RBI double. Freeman finished with three hits on the night, contributing to a Dodgers lineup that capitalized on early opportunities. Will Smith added to the scoring in the third with a two-run homer, his sixth of the season, putting Los Angeles ahead 5-3 at the time. Smith finished with three RBIs.
The Padres answered in the bottom of the third when Tyler Wade hit a two-out, bases-clearing triple, scoring three to tie the game. Wade’s deep drive into right field evaded a sliding attempt by Teoscar Hernández, allowing the Padres to claw back into the game.
Dodgers starter Dustin May allowed six hits and four walks over five innings, giving up multiple scoring opportunities but limiting further damage. Padres starter Nick Pivetta struggled, allowing five runs and eight hits over just four innings in his second consecutive subpar outing.
San Diego briefly tied the game again in the fifth inning on Hyeseong Kim’s RBI double, which scored Hernández and knotted the game at 6-6. Neither team would score again until extra innings, despite both lineups putting runners on base in the middle innings.
The matchup marked the first meeting between the teams since their National League Division Series clash last postseason, when the Dodgers came back from a 2-1 series deficit to eliminate the Padres en route to their World Series title. Monday’s crowd featured the usual energy of a split fanbase that has fueled this regional rivalry in recent seasons.
The four-game series continues Tuesday night, with Padres right-hander Dylan Cease (1-5, 4.72 ERA) scheduled to start. The Dodgers have yet to announce their starting pitcher as they continue to manage a rotation impacted by injuries.
