Padres Deal Dodgers 3rd Straight Loss

Tatis Jr. has another monster game to give Padres .500 record at break

The Padres spent the first half of the week getting their teeth kicked in during a home sweep by the last place Giants. So it comes as an absolute shock that they had a chance to go to the All-Star Break by winning a series on the road against the best record in baseball-having Dodgers.

But here we are.

A fabulous game from rookie Fernando Tatis, Jr. gave the Padres a 5-3 win over the Dodgers on Sunday, sending San Diego to the mid-season break with a 45-45 record and a 3-game winning streak.

There was a bit of a blowback from Tatis being excluded from the National League All-Star roster. On Sunday we got a good look at why. The 20-year-old rookie led off the game with a home run and added a 3-run shot in the 5th inning to give him 14 dingers for the season. Tatis is also the youngest Padre to have a multi-homer game AND the youngest player ever to hit a pair of bombs at Dodger Stadium (which opened in 1962).

In the 2nd inning the kid may have made his biggest play of the game. Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes hit a hard ground ball up the middle. Tatis dove fully extended to his left, got to one knee and threw a missile to Eric Hosmer at 1st base. Barnes was initially called safe but replay clearly showed the throw beat him for the final out of the inning.

The Padres got their other run on a solo homer by Manuel Margot, the 2nd straight game the centerfielder has gone deep. On the mound starter Joey Lucchesi gave up three runs in 6.2 innings to get his first career win against the Dodgers.

All-Star Kirby Yates threw a scoreless 9th to become the first San Diego closer ever to have 30 saves before the All-Star break.

Other than Yates, the Padres get four days off before starting a 3-game series against the Braves at Petco Park on Friday, July 12. They'll start the second half of the season trailing the Dodgers by 14 games in the National League West but very much in the playoff picture. The Friars are one of eight teams within 3.5 games of a National League Wild Card spot.

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