Freddie Freeman homered in consecutive innings, rookie Dalton Rushing delivered a decisive three-run shot in the seventh, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled back into a tie atop the National League West with an 8-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.
Shohei Ohtani added insurance with his 45th home run of the season in the ninth inning, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8) turned in six strong innings to help the Dodgers salvage the finale of the three-game series. The victory snapped a two-game skid against their Southern California rivals. It brought the division race back to even, with both clubs standing at 74-57 and 31 games remaining in the regular season.
The Padres had entered the day riding a five-game winning streak and appeared poised to continue their dominance after backup catcher Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer in the third inning. Starter Nick Pivetta was in control for much of his outing, striking out seven and allowing only two hits through six innings. He retired 16 of 17 batters at one point and gave San Diego the third consecutive quality start from its rotation following Yu Darvish and Nestor Cortes’ outings.
But Freeman broke through against Pivetta with a solo homer in the sixth to tie the game at 2-2, setting the stage for Los Angeles’ late surge. In the seventh, Rushing worked a complete count before hammering a slider from reliever Jeremiah Estrada (4-5) into the right field, which stands for a three-run blast, his third career home run. Freeman followed an inning later with a two-run shot off Wandy Peralta, extending the Dodgers’ lead and completing his multi-homer game.
Ohtani, hitless in the series until that point, capped the offensive output by crushing a fastball from Yuki Matsui deep into right field in the ninth. The reigning MVP now sits tied for the National League lead in home runs while extending his August hot streak.
Yamamoto kept Los Angeles close until the offense broke through, allowing just four hits and two runs while striking out six across six innings. The right-hander improved to 11-8 on the season and has now logged back-to-back starts of at least six innings with fewer than three runs allowed.
Mookie Betts also contributed to the victory, finishing with three hits. The Dodgers’ leadoff hitter has raised his average to .348 since August 5 after enduring a difficult stretch earlier in the summer.
Estrada’s struggles out of the bullpen proved costly for San Diego, marking the second straight day he surrendered a home run in a high-leverage situation. The Padres had relied heavily on their relievers during their winning streak, but the group faltered after Pivetta exited.
Sportsbooks had installed the Padres as slight -120 favorites, with the Dodgers at even money. The over/under closed at 8.5 runs, and Los Angeles’ late scoring surge pushed the total to the over.
The Dodgers return home Monday to host the Cincinnati Reds, sending right-hander Emmet Sheehan (4-2, 4.17 ERA) to the mound against Los Angeles native Hunter Greene. San Diego travels north to face the Seattle Mariners, though the Padres have not announced a starter for the opener.