The San Diego Padres took full advantage of a depleted Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff on Tuesday night, cruising to an 11-1 victory at Petco Park in the second game of their four-game series. Manny Machado delivered five runs batted in, and Dylan Cease turned in a dominant outing to help San Diego even the series against the defending World Series champions.
Cease (2-5), who had gone 11 starts without a win, allowed just three hits and struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings. He issued five walks but effectively neutralized a Dodgers lineup that entered the game among the league’s most productive. Despite some traffic on the basepaths, Cease was able to escape key moments, including a bases-loaded threat in the third inning. The Padres entered the game as slight home underdogs with the Dodgers favored around -130 on the moneyline.
Los Angeles, reeling from injuries with 14 pitchers on the injured list, called up Matt Sauer (1-1) from the minors to provide length. Sauer struggled through 111 pitches, yielding nine runs on 13 hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Dodgers preserved their bullpen, turning to utility player Kiké Hernández to pitch the final 2 1/3 innings. Hernández allowed one earned run and three hits, throwing at velocities rarely exceeding 57 miles per hour.
San Diego’s offensive outburst began in the third inning. With two outs, Fernando Tatís Jr. worked a walk and came around to score on Luis Arraez’s double. Arraez, who collected three hits and scored four times, crossed the plate on Machado’s first RBI single. Jackson Merrill followed with a triple to drive in Machado, giving the Padres an early 3-0 lead.
The Padres continued to extend their lead across the middle innings. Xander Bogaerts contributed a two-run single, Martín Maldonado hit a solo home run, and Machado drove in two more runs in the seventh to bring his total to five RBIs, matching a career high. Machado’s performance also extended his hitting streak to eight games. San Diego reached double digits in runs when they went ahead 11-0 in the seventh inning.
The Dodgers managed their only run in the eighth, when Michael Conforto singled home a run. However, the offensive output was minimal, with the team generating just six hits on the night.
Tuesday’s result starkly contrasted with the series opener, which the Dodgers won 8-7 in 10 innings. San Diego’s ability to exploit Los Angeles’s pitching depth issues and an efficient start from Cease shifted the series’ tone ahead of Wednesday’s third matchup.
In game three, San Diego plans to send right-hander Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.69 ERA) to the mound. Los Angeles will counter with left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-2, 7.20 ERA), who remains in the Dodgers’ injury-battered rotation.
