MLB: NL West race heats up as Dodgers tie Padres for lead
The Dodgers were running away in the NL West then with a nine-game lead. The Padres were in third place.
Now, with 1 1/2 months left in the season, it's all tied up.
San Diego came into Dodger Stadium on Friday night with a one-game lead over the defending World Series champions. It's the latest the Padres had led the division since September 2010 and the first time the Dodgers had been out of first this late in the season since Aug. 18, 2021.
By the time it was over, the Dodgers won 3-2 to snap a four-game skid and gain a tie for first.
"We just played some bad games and we're fine moving forward," winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw said.
The Padres' five-game winning streak ended.
"The only day in the standings that ultimately matters is the last day of the season," Padres manager Mike Shildt said before the game, "but we've played good baseball and we feel good where we're at."
The last time the Padres won the NL West was in 2006, when their leadoff hitter was current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
"The reality is we got here by putting emphasis on every day being the most important day of the season and that's not going to change from my seat," Shildt said.
The Dodgers had been in first every day since April 27, but injuries, pitching woes and lack of offensive punch have derailed them.
"It just takes one to get going," Kershaw said, "and hopefully this was it for us."
Ever the optimist, Roberts is keeping the faith in his lineup.
"They just got to go out there and take good at-bats," he said. "They're motivated. I don't like to be embarrassed, I don't think our players do, so this series I'm expecting kind of high intensity and high performance."
The teams meet five more times over the next nine days.
"The division isn't won or lost in the next 10 days but it will make an impact and we know that," Kershaw said. "We just got to keep playing. You can't put any more or any less on it. Hopefully, our talent and our team will take over, which we know it will."
The series opener Friday was devoid of the fireworks that occurred in June, when the Dodgers took five of seven games during the teams' first two series. Ten batters were hit, including Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. three times. The last time cleared the benches.
Roberts and Shildt were ejected following a tense back-and-forth exchange.
This time, Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia hit Jose Iglesias and Jake Cronenworth back-to-back to open the eighth, but there was no retribution by the Padres.
"It was a high intensity game but it was certainly kind of tempered as far as internally," Roberts said afterward, "but I think that I could see it as far as on the field. I could feel it. Our focus was keen."
Roberts said beforehand that he and Shildt had not spoken since the contretemps.
"I'm past it," Roberts said before the game. "I just want us to play well."
Shildt said, "I'm not a grudge guy. I'm not a carry things over. I'm more of a day-to-day guy. Go and treat people with respect."
Shildt and Roberts shook hands while exchanging lineup cards .
Roberts said, "I'll just do what I do all the time, say hello and that's about it."
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