LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers didn’t hit a home run and were the ones with lots of base runners and not much to show for it this time.
The Padres finally could show how they often win games — waiting out a good starting pitcher and eventually pouncing.
This one was extreme, even for them, as they avoided being swept at Dodger Stadium this weekend by winning for just the second time this season in a game in which they trailed after eight innings.
Jake Cronenworth began a four-run ninth inning with a one-out single off Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel’s back. Luke Voit’s double off the top of the wall in left field tied the game, Eric Hosmer’s line drive single scored pinch-runner CJ Abrams and Ha-Seong Kim’s two-run homer completed the scoring in a 4-2 victory. (Box score.)
Taylor Rogers allowed a run before locking down his 23rd save, and Padres left Dodger Stadium 3½ games back in the National League West and having stopped a losing streak in L.A. at nine games. It was their second victory in 16 games against the Dodgers dating to last season.
The Dodgers were two outs from securing a victory in which they scored only once — on back-to-back doubles to start the game. Seven innings of excellence (four hits, one walk) by Clayton Kershaw followed, Evan Phillips pitched a perfect eighth and Kimbrel came on attempting to convert his 15th save.
Before the ninth, José Azocar was the Padres’ only runner to get past first base. After leading off the third inning with a double, he moved to third on Jurickson Profar’s groundout before being thrown out trying to score on Manny Machado’s grounder to shortstop.
Padres rookie MacKenzie Gore surrendered a run before he got an out and recorded just one clean inning. But the left-hander also did what is becoming customary for him as he scrapped his way through trouble, didn’t allow another run and came within a step of completing a quality start.
Mookie Betts and Trea Turner both turned on 2-0 fastballs and sent them to the corner for Profar to chase down.
Down 1-0 quickly, Gore got Freddie Freeman on a fly ball to left field but had to face seven batters and throw 29 pitches before leaving the bases loaded by striking out Trayce Thompson to end the first inning.
Two-out walks by Betts, which were followed by Turner getting on with a single and by taking a curve ball to the foot, prolonged the second and fourth innings. The fourth ended with Profar fielding Freeman’s single in left and throwing out Betts at the plate.
After retiring the Dodgers in order in the fifth, Gore walked Thompson to start the sixth. He got two outs and looked to have possibly gotten a double play grounder from Gavin Lux. But shortstop Ha-Seong Kim took the throw from Jake Cronenworth and did a 360-degree turn before throwing to first, a split-second after Lux had crossed the bag.
With Gore at 100 pitches, Nick Martinez was called on and ended the inning by getting a grounder from Turner.
Martinez (3-3) allowed one hit in his 2 1/3 innings and got the win.
