Teoscar Hernandez cracked a three-run homer to snap a sixth-inning tie Wednesday as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers earned a series win with a 5-2 decision over the San Diego Padres.
Freddie Freeman started the winning rally with a one-out infield single off Adrian Morejon (3-3). Jeremiah Estrada relieved and walked Will Smith, then Hernandez worked his way into a 2-1 count. Hernandez blasted the ensuing fastball over the center field wall for his 11th homer.
Lou Trivino (2-0) got the win with a perfect fifth and Alex Vesia, the eighth Los Angeles pitcher of the game, collected his third save by striking out the side in the ninth.
Neither starter made it through the fifth inning despite pitching well. The Dodgers’ Ben Casparius lasted four innings, allowing three hits and one run with two walks and two strikeouts. San Diego’s Randy Vasquez pitched 4 2/3 innings, permitting only two hits and one run while walking one and whiffing four.
The Padres initiated the scoring in the second when Martin Maldonado drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded to force in Xander Bogaerts, which salvaged one run after Gavin Sheets was thrown out by center fielder Andy Pages at home trying to score from second on Jake Cronenworth’s one-out single.
While Casparius recovered from that stumble to retire the last seven men he faced, Vasquez protected the lead until the fifth. That’s when Michael Conforto cracked his fourth homer of the year to left-center field.
After Hernandez’ three-run blast gave the Dodgers a 4-1 lead, Sheets lofted a sacrifice fly in the sixth to score Manny Machado. San Diego had a chance to erase the lead in the seventh when reliever Michael Kopech issued three straight walks with one out to load the bases, but Anthony Banda came in and retired Luis Arraez on a popup and induced a Machado groundout on a 3-0 pitch.
Smith supplied an insurance run in the ninth with a two-out RBI single that scored Shohei Ohtani, who ripped a one-out triple.
–Field Level Media
