SAN DIEGO—Freddie Freeman drove in four runs on four hits, including a two-run homer, and Trea Turner hit a go-ahead, three-run double for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the San Diego Padres 8–4 on Saturday night to reduce to four their magic number for clinching the NL West.
The Dodgers are closing in on their ninth division title in 10 seasons. They continue to dominate the Padres, winning for the 11th time in 14 games this season and for the 21st time in their last 24 matchups.
They’ll go for their eighth straight series win against the Padres on Sunday.
San Diego dropped into the NL’s third wild-card spot, three games ahead of Milwaukee.
Julio Urías (16–7) allowed two home runs to Manny Machado but otherwise quieted the Padres for seven innings to win his third straight start and for the 12th time in 13 decisions.
With Freeman leading the way, the Dodgers bounced back from a 5–4, 10–inning loss in the series opener on a wet Friday night. Freeman drove in Turner on three of his hits and finished a triple shy of the cycle.
Turner tripled between rookie center fielder Jose Azocar and right fielder Juan Soto with two outs in the third and scored on Freeman’s single to right.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth against Blake Snell (6–9) and Turner cleared them with a double to center that gave the Dodgers a 4–1 lead. Freeman then doubled in Turner.
Turner walked with one out in the seventh and was aboard for Freeman’s homer to center field, his 19th. Will Smith doubled and scored on Chris Taylor’s single.
Urías held San Diego to two runs and five hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Machado hit a moonshot homer to left with two outs in the third and another one to right with one out in the sixth. He has 28.
Snell allowed five runs and seven hits in four-plus innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Willie O’Ree
Hockey Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree, the first Black player in the NHL, was at the game for a sponsor promotion and spent several minutes visiting with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, bench coach Bob Geren and right fielder Mookie Betts.
O’Ree lives in suburban La Mesa and Roberts and Geren went to San Diego-area high schools. O’Ree was wearing a Padres cap in their old blue-and-white color scheme, and Geren went into the Dodgers clubhouse and got him a new LA cap.
Pitch
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played Padres catcher Mike Lawson in the short-lived Fox drama “Pitch” in 2016, was wearing a Dodgers cap while watching batting practice.
Gosselaar, who starred in the TV show “Saved by the Bell,” chatted with Roberts for several minutes.
Trainer’s Room
Dodgers: Placed RHP Blake Treinen on the injured list with right shoulder tightness, retroactive to Wednesday, and recalled RHP Andre Jackson from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Padres: Reinstated RHP Pierce Johnson (right forearm tendinitis) from the 60-day IL, optioned RHP Reiss Knehr to Triple-A El Paso, reinstated C Austin Nola from the paternity list, and designated OF Matt Beaty for assignment.
Up Next
Dodgers LHP Andrew Heaney (2–2, 2.94 ERA) and Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (9–6, 3.16) are scheduled to start the series finale Sunday.
By Bernie Wilson
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