Bellinger homers twice as Dodgers lay it on Padres, 10-2
The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their winning ways against the San Diego Padres Sunday, storming to a 10-2 victory over their same-state rivals to take two out of three games in the two teams first series matchup this season.
They've now won 11 out of 12 against the Padres dating back to August 2021.
Sunday's offense was powered by a trio of homers - two that came off the bat of Cody Bellinger, his third and fourth of the season. Freddie Freeman also hit his third of the year, a towering 425 foot blast to deep right field.
Six Dodgers finished the game with at least one RBI, led by Bellinger's four.
They struck first in the top of the first inning on a Justin Turner sac fly, and never looked back from there.
Homers in the third (two-run, Freeman) and fourth (Bellinger), gave them an early 4-0 advantage, which they continued to insure with a Chris Taylor sac fly and Bellinger's second homer (three-run) in the fifth, and a pair of RBI groundouts from Trea Turner and Max Muncy in the sixth, giving them an even 10 runs on the day - the most they've scored in the 2022 season.
The Boys in Blue also got some serious help from their pitching staff, with Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 2.65 ERA) going give strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits, striking out three and allowing no walks, while Justin Bruihl, the newly-recalled Reyes Moronta and Garrett Cleavinger combined for four innings of one-run baseball, allowing just two hits in that time.
Craig Kimbrel also had a clean ninth inning, allowing an infield single to Padres rookie CJ Abrams to start before striking out the next batter and getting a double play to end the game.
Padres starter Sean Manaea (2-2, 3.47 ERA) got a rude welcoming to the NL West Rivalry, as he got shelled in 4.1 innings pitched, allowing seven runs - six earned - on six hits, walking three and striking out five. Two of the six hits were home runs.
San Diego got little in the way of offense, scoring their first run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Wil Myer's single, and their second run on an RBI groundout from Jorge Alfaro in the bottom of the seventh.
Two of the three relievers for the Padres allowed at least one run, with Dinelson Lamet allowing one on Bellinger's three-run homer in the fifth, two of which were credited to Manaea, and two allowed by Pedro Aliva, only one of which was earned due to an error by Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth.
The win solidified the fourth consecutive series win for the Dodgers, after they took two out of three from the Atlanta Braves, earned a four-game sweep over the Cincinnati Reds and stole both of the games in a two-game road series against the Minnesota Twins.
The Dodgers are now 11-5, matched with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets for the best record in the National League.
They'll continue their road trip Monday when they head to Arizona to face off with the Diamondbacks at 6:40 p.m. The Dodgers will send Walker Buehler (1-1, 4.02 ERA) to the mound against Merrill Kelly (1-0, 0.59 ERA) in the first of a three game series.
