Dodgers answer the bell, sweep Padres

Los Angeles, CA (News4usOnline) – The San Diego Padres like to yap. The Padres often express confidence, but against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they have not performed as expected.

Although the Padres won the majority of head-to-head meetings against the Dodgers in 2024, they were eliminated in the postseason.

The Dodgers needed just five games to beat the Padres in the National League Division Series (NLDS) before they embarked on their journey to becoming world champions. Fast forward to 2025, and the Padres still seem like they can’t beat the Dodgers when it counts.

The Dodgers just swept the Padres in a three-game series to improve their NL West lead over San Diego by two games. For the season, the Dodgers have now beaten the Padres in eight of the 10 games they have faced each other.

Except for one game, all contests between the Dodgers and the Padres have been decided by three runs or fewer. The Padres entered the series with high expectations but were unable to secure a victory against their longtime division rivals.    

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was happy, though.

“Very satisfying considering where we were just four days ago,” Roberts remarked during a postgame interview. “Just the way we ramped up the focus, intensity, and obviously, winning three ball games here. Very tight ballgames, well-played ballgames…to come out of it with three wins is huge.”

The Padres put themselves in a position to win the final game of the series, but could not come through. The third contest of a three-game series reflected this. The Padres outhit the Dodgers (10-6) and left more men on base (8-3).

The difference between the Dodgers and the Padres is that their primetime hitters came through when it mattered most.

First baseman Freddie Freeman delivered a three-run home run to give the Dodgers an early advantage. Mookie Betts then closed the deal with a solo home run in the eighth inning to give the Dodgers a 5-4 win at Dodger Stadium.

Counting Andy Pages’ solo blast, the Dodgers hit three home runs on the day.

Betts’ only hit of the day was the home run he knocked out of the ballpark. Freeman had an awful day at the plate as well, going 1-4 on the afternoon. But he made his one hit count the most when he went to left centerfield with his three-run shot off of former Dodger Yu Darvish.

Tyler Glasnow may not have gotten the win, but he still pitched five strong innings, striking out eight San Diego batters. With less than 60 games remaining in the regular season, the Dodgers’ lead over the Padres in the NL West is now two after their three-game sweep.

“Yeah, just got down, got behind the eight ball, and you know, Darvish righting the ship a little bit, was able to get through four [innings] and a clean two, three, and four to keep it right there,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “