The Dodgers rode a late surge to a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, sweeping the series and widening their lead in the NL West. In the eighth inning, Mookie Betts delivered a go-ahead homer off Robert Suárez, and in the ninth, reliever Alex Vesia closed it out after a brief scare, retiring the two hitters he faced before sealing the victory.
Vesia had been leaned on heavily this season, and after giving up three runs over his last few appearances, he spoke up in the dugout, telling Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, “If we’re up in the ninth, I want it.” Roberts agreed, and three pitches later Betts’s tiebreaking shot gave Los Angeles the lead. After the ball left his bat, Vesia faced the minimum in the ninth, getting Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez to pop out and then striking out Manny Machado, who went 1-for-12 in the series.
The win capped a weekend in which the Dodgers snapped a tough stretch. They had fallen behind by a game to San Diego earlier in the series and watched their division lead shrink, but they left with a two-game edge after taking three straight from their rivals. Andy Pages, who helped set the tone with a third-inning defensive play, reflected on the team’s resilience: “That’s not where we should be,” he said in Spanish, underscoring that the skid might end up being the best thing to happen to them.
Clustered contributions defined the weekend. Teoscar Hernández homered in each of the first two games, and Michael Conforto collected three hits in eight at-bats over the series. Betts, who has navigated a difficult offensive season, drove in the winning run on Sunday after an 0-for-8 stretch in the series, a testament to his ability to impact the game even when numbers lag. Freeman added a three-run homer in the first inning of Sunday’s game, and Pages followed with a solo homer, helping the Dodgers grab an early four-run cushion.
Bullpen depth was a major storyline, especially after earlier struggles. Seven Dodgers relievers combined to allow just three runs over 10 innings in the series, a sign that the relief corps is capable of handling high-leverage moments even when the roster is temporarily short-handed. “The dawg, right? We still have that. That doesn’t just go away,” Vesia said. “Every single one of us, we’re leaning on each other. And we know as a group how good we are. The last three games, it’s shown, and that’s from one guy picking up the next. We kind of call it passing the torch. You get kicked down in this game from time to time, right? We put our heads down and keep going.”
The Padres were swept for the first time in a series since May, having entered the weekend with a 14-3 mark against the Dodgers before the sweep. San Diego’s offense managed to threaten after a first-inning burst by the Dodgers, but the Padres couldn’t sustain the rally, and their bullpen remained erratic, contributing to the chapter of the weekend where the Dodgers finally found their form.
Looking ahead, Los Angeles will face the Colorado Rockies in a four-game stint coming up, while the Padres regroup and reassess as the season progresses. The Dodgers showcased a blend of timely hitting, bullpen grit, and a willingness to lean on one another, suggesting they’re capable of sustaining momentum when it matters most.
Summary: The Dodgers outlasted the Padres 5-4 to clinch the series, leveraging Betts’s eighth-inning homer and a ninth-inning save from Vesia. The win restored momentum for a club that had endured a rough stretch, with contributions across the lineup and a bullpen that rose to the challenge. It leaves Los Angeles two games up in the division and sets the stage for a four-game homestand against the Rockies. A hopeful takeaway is the club’s demonstrated resilience and depth, signaling that they remain a dangerous, complete team when everyone contributes.