Padres flex pitching prowess as they tie Dodgers in NL West with 2-1 win
Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Petco Park- San Diego, CA
The Padres wanted a redo. After getting absolutely embarrassed with a three-game sweep by the Dodgers in L.A. last weekend, San Diego wanted a chance to make amends in San Diego. It wasn’t going to be easy. It was a battle of former and current Padres arms. Yu Darvish took the mound for San Diego, countering Blake Snell from the Dodgers. Snell was making his first start in San Diego since winning the Cy Young with the franchise in 2023.
The Padres’ Yu Darvish delivered a strong outing, teaming with relievers for a three-hitter, while Blake Snell pitched well for the Dodgers in a game where runs were at a premium.
The Dodgers opened the scoring in the top of the third with Alex Freeland‘s first MLB home run. Darvish buckled down after that.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Padres were able to nickel-and-dime their way to two runs. Fernando Tatis Jr. led off with a walk and gave Snell fits leading off on first base. A perfect bunt by Luis Arraez put Tatis on second.
That’s all Manny Machado needed, as he lined a single into centerfield to tie the game at one. San Diego wasn’t done. Ryan O’Hearn lined a single of his own, putting Machado at third with just one out. Xander Bogaerts did his job, lining a ball deep enough into right-center for the go-ahead, RBI sacrifice fly. The score was now 2-1.
That is where it remained.
The two starting pitchers combined for 13 innings pitched, allowing three runs between them.
It wasn’t without some tension, however. The Dodgers got runners on first and second and one out against Mason Miller in the eighth. Dalton Rushing grounded a ball to Arraez at first, who was playing deep. He threw to second, attempting to start the double play. Since he was so far from first base, Miller had to hustle to cover first himself. The throw came in low, and Miller dug it out like a true first baseman. Initially, the call on the field was safe, but after a Padres challenge, it was overturned. Miller had danced out of danger, capping it off with a defensive play you rarely see from a pitcher.
Mason Miller with the smooth pick on a 3-6-1 double play, keeping Shohei Ohtani in the on-deck circle. (Safe call was overturned.) pic.twitter.com/mqR1IkvSpM
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) August 23, 2025
Again, it wasn’t going to be a quiet ending. Robert Suarez entered in the ninth inning. After Shohei Ohtani missed a game-tying home run by mere centimeters on the barrel of his bat, the Dodgers got runners on first and third with two outs, the tying run just 90 feet away. The stadium was buzzing from both fan bases, anxiously hanging on every pitch.
After a spirited team meeting on the mound with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, Suarez buckled down and struck out Teoscar Hernandez to end the game. It isn’t just any win. It brought the Padres into a virtual tie with the Dodgers for first place in the NL West division. They have two games left to play this weekend. It’s nothing short of a playoff atmosphere at Petco Park. That’s the way it should be.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.