Betts homers twice as Dodgers down Padres, 6-1

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won nine out of their last 10 games to start the 2022 MLB season, cruising to a 10-3 record and an early lead in the NL West race. 

Friday night's victory came in the form of a 6-1 victory over the San Diego Padres, their first win against their divisional rivals on the 2022 season and their tenth in a row dating back to 2021.

The Boys in Blue were backed by a nearly lights out pitching performance from their pitching staff, who allowed just four hits on the evening, and a three homer night from the offense - two of which came off the bat of former MVP Mookie Betts. 

The Padres struck first in the second inning, garnering their lone run of the ballgame on a fielder's choice groundout from Wil Myers, scoring Jurickson Profar, who had walked earlier in the inning. 

That was it for the Padres, who had just three singles and one double throughout the contest. 

Julio Urias (1-1, 3.00 ERA) turned in his second-straight impressive performance after a season-opening dud, throwing 5.0 two-hit innings, allowing one run with six strikeouts and three walks allowed.

The Dodgers struck on a pair of solo homers in the top of the fifth inning, the first a 420-foot blast off the bat of Mookie Betts - his first of the game, and the season. 

Both of those runs were credited to Padres starter Nick Martinez (0-2, 4.30 ERA), who finished the contest going 4.2 innings, allowing four hits for two runs, striking out four and allowing five base on balls. 

Two batters later, and Max Muncy launched his own solo shot, giving the Dodgers the 2-1 lead, and all the run support they'd need for the victory. 

They tacked another pair of runs on in the top of the seventh though, when Muncy roped a single to right field, scoring two. Justin Turner would drive in another, sacrificing into a double play that still scored Trea Turner from third, giving the Dodgers the 4-1 advantage. 

Betts wasn't done though, adding their fifth run of the game on his second solo homer, a soaring 370-foot shot to left. 

The Dodgers threw five relievers on the mound in the matchup, which was locked down by David Price in the ninth inning. 

Both teams will matchup again Saturday at 5:40 p.m., when the Dodgers send lefty Tyler Anderson (1-0, 2.25 ERA) on the bump in place of the recently injured Andrew Heaney, to face off against the Padres Yu Darvish (1-1, 6.28 ERA).