LOS ANGELES – Never underestimate the restorative powers of a good night’s sleep.
After a cross-country flight that brought them back from New York in the late-night hours, the Dodgers were held to one run on four hits Friday night. Given a day to sleep in and shake off the effects of jet lag, they pounded the San Diego Padres, hitting four home runs through the super-heated Southern California air in a 12-1 rout Saturday night.
The win snapped the Dodgers’ first three-game losing streak since June 8-10 and shrank their magic number to clinch another NL West title down to 12.
Trea Turner got a little "me" time after the late arrival, getting his first day off this season on Friday and responded with a two-run home run in his first at-bat Saturday. Mookie Betts got his break in the form of a night at second base and responded with a three-run home run, breaking his previous career-high in homers.
Justin Turner hit the third homer off Padres starter Sean Manaea who has found facing the Dodgers the most daunting part of his move from Oakland to San Diego this season. In three starts against the Dodgers this season, Manaea has a 15.63 ERA (22 earned runs in 12 ⅔ innings) and the Dodgers have batted .397 (25 for 63) with five doubles, a triple and five home runs.
Betts led off with that triple in the bottom of the first inning, a gift from Padres right fielder Juan Soto who took a less-than-direct route towards the slicing line drive then tumbled to the ground after he was unable to reach it.
Turner followed with his first home run in 113 plate appearances and first extra-base hit in 33. He had taken a 7-for-30 slump into his first off day Friday.
In the third, Freddie Freeman singled off the second base bag (the first of his three hits in the game) and scored from first base on Will Smith’s two-out double. Smith later added a three-run home run for a four-RBI night, giving him 79 for the season. Saturday’s came as a DH but he leads all catchers in RBI.
Betts’ 33rd home run of the season came in the fourth inning with two on and two out. It topped his previous best (32 during his AL MVP season in 2018) and tied Joc Pederson (2019) for the most in franchise history from a leadoff hitter.
Turner’s two-run home run was only his second since July 8 (and 10th of the season). But he has come alive offensively in that time, batting .345 (38 for 110) with 24 RBI in his past 30 games.
That was more than enough to back Julio Urias who seems to be getting stronger as the season goes on. He allowed one run on two hits (one of them a solo home run by Manny Machado that did not go over well with the Dodger Stadium crowd) in six innings against the Padres.
He struck out only two and walked three but it was the sixth consecutive start in which Urias has allowed one run or no runs and the eighth time in his past nine starts. In 16 starts since the beginning of June, Urias has gone 12-2 with a 1.94 ERA, holding batters to a .172 average.
Blake Treinen made his first big-league appearance since April 14, retiring the side in order in the seventh inning.
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