Dodgers Rebound with 5-2 Victory, Claim NL West Showdown
On June 11, 2025, Teoscar Hernández smashed a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning, and Michael Conforto added a solo shot, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-2 triumph over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The defending World Series champions secured two of three games in the first NL West rivalry series of the season, bouncing back from Tuesday’s 11-1 rout.
After Tuesday’s blowout, where utilityman Kiké Hernández pitched the final 2⅓ innings following Matt Sauer’s 111-pitch ordeal, the Dodgers leaned on rookie Ben Casparius. The right-hander navigated four innings, surviving a second-inning jam when he allowed five straight Padres to reach but limited the damage to one run. Center fielder Andy Pages’ 99 mph throw gunned down Gavin Sheets at home, with catcher Will Smith sealing the play. “Pages’ throw home was on the first base side of the plate, but Smith caught it, wheeled around and tagged Sheets,” noted the game report.
Conforto tied the game at 1-1 with his fourth homer of 2025, a left-center blast off Randy Vásquez in the fifth. Hernández then delivered the decisive blow in the sixth, crushing a 420-foot, three-run shot—his 11th homer—off Jeremiah Estrada. Freddie Freeman singled and Smith walked to set the stage. “Feels great, it’s been a really, really tough last 3 weeks for me,” Hernández told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame.
The Padres closed the gap to 4-2 via Gavin Sheets’ sixth-inning sacrifice fly but squandered a seventh-inning opportunity with bases loaded. Reliever Michael Kopech walked three, but Anthony Banda bailed him out, retiring Luis Arraez on a popup and Manny Machado on a grounder. Alex Vesia, the Dodgers’ eighth pitcher, fanned the side in the ninth for his third save. Lou Trivino (2-0) earned the win, while Adrian Morejon (3-3) took the loss.
The Dodgers (41-28) now hold a two-game lead over the Padres (38-29) in the NL West. The rivals meet again Monday through Thursday at Dodger Stadium, where L.A. eliminated San Diego in last year’s NLDS. Next, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.20 ERA) starts Friday against the Giants, while Stephen Kolek (3-1, 3.00 ERA) opens for the Padres in Arizona.