Padres lose 3-0 to Dodgers on Fourth of July
AP Photo
The Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers met for the Fourth of July for game three of this four-game series in LA. San Diego dropped the first two games heartbreakingly. Game 1, the Padres blew a 6-0 lead, and in Game 2, they would lose their 3-0 advantage to a grand slam in the seventh.
San Diego (43-44) will try to break their seven-game skid with a win on Independence Day.
The Dodgers (58-31) look to clinch the series at Chavez Ravine.
Wandy Peralta, who let up four earned runs and got the loss in Thursday’s action, received the start for San Diego as the opener. Griffin Canning will get the bulk innings.
2026 All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto started the game for LA. Yamamoto has pitched to a .78 WHIP in his last seven starts, leading to an ERA of 1.70 during that stretch.
Campusano is back
Luis Campusano makes his first start since returning from the IL. Campusano’s last game with the Padres came just under two months ago, on May 5th.
America’s favorite pastime. pic.twitter.com/SRKj1OjLHs
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 4, 2026
Play at home in the first
Following the two-out walk to Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts doubled, and the Padres relay to get Freeman out at home on the play.
A great #Padres relay started by Jackson Merrill gets Freddie Freeman out at home on Mookie’s double
Still scoreless from UNIQLO Field#forthefaithful pic.twitter.com/Sea4fh7SB9
— Padres Highlights (@FriarHighlights) July 5, 2026
LA starts the scoring in the third
First-time All-Star in 2026, Andy Pages singled into left field to score Dalton Rushing and to give the Dodgers a 1-0 advantage. The leadoff walk by Griffin Canning to Rushing ends up hurting as Canning would retire the two batters to follow Pages.
Andy Pages started the scoring with a single, but the Dodgers left a walk and another single. Mookie Betts hit one to the track. pic.twitter.com/DYrbDKB5hf
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 5, 2026
Canning does great
After the last week of baseball for this Padres team, Griffin Canning did as much as you could’ve probably asked for. Canning went four innings, giving up just the one earned run and striking out four. The righty also did well in limiting baserunners, surrendering just two hits and two walks during his outing. During Canning’s appearance, Canning threw just 73 pitches with 46 of them being for strikes, and generated nine whiffs from Dodgers hitters. Kyle Hart took over in the bottom of the sixth.
The Dodgers double their lead
Newly entered Kyle Hart digs himself into a 2-0 hole against Freddie Freeman, and Freeman takes him deep to extend the Dodger lead to 2.
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2026
Miller’s first appearance in five days
Padres representative in the 2026 All-Star Game, Mason Miller, pitched in the bottom of the eighth, trying to keep the game at 2-0. Miller has not been used much at all in the past few weeks, with the team not being in save situations too often. Freeman’s single scored Tommy Edman, the victim of a leadoff hit by a pitch.
Freddie drills a 100 MPH fastball back up the box at 109 MPH for a single and insurance. pic.twitter.com/i2uygyrydP
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 5, 2026
The Dodgers win the series
Will Klein closes the door on the Padres. Manny Machado and Gavin Sheets both went down on strikes. Ty France grounded out to Freddie Freeman for the final out.
Recap
Yamamoto’s seven scoreless innings, along with 10 strikeouts, earned him his ninth win of 2026.
Unfortunately, with the lack of run support, Griffin Canning’s lone run allowed would give him the loss.
Will Klein recorded his second save of the year.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Brock Stewart, Alex Vesia, and Will Klein combine to complete the shutout of the Padres.
San Diego now drops to two games under .500 to 43-45. Their losing streak extends to eight games.
The Dodgers get their MLB-leading 59th win of 2026 and better their record to 59-31.
Finale on Sunday
The Padres and Dodgers will meet again on Sunday Night Baseball on NBC and Peacock for the fourth and final game of the series. JP Sears will pitch for the Padres, and Emmet Sheehan will pitch for the Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 4:20 PM PT.
Angel grew up a San Diego sports fan, following the Padres, SDSU athletics, San Diego FC, as well as the Chargers. He is currently a third year community college student, and will transfer to SDSU to pursue a career in Journalism.