The Padres mounted a comeback in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday, led by Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts, to tie the Dodgers at 3-all.
Then, just as suddenly, Los Angeles shut them down. Will Smith hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, lifting the Dodgers over the Friars 4-3.
Smith, a pinch hitter, connected on a one-out 90-mph changeup from closer Robert Suarez (1-3) to break the tie for the Dodgers’ 25th comeback win of the season.
After four players were hit by pitches in the first two games of the series and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected on Tuesday, Andy Pages was hit on his left shoulder by a 91 mph cutter by Stephen Kolek in the seventh.
With the umpires watching, Kolek and Pages exchanged nods as Kolek left the game one out later.
The first-place Dodgers won their fifth in a row, improving to 5-1 against the Padres.
THE BEST CATCHER IN BASEBALL WALKS IT OFF! pic.twitter.com/XvgBL60exu
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 19, 2025Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan allowed one run over four innings of his first major league start in 1 1/2 years after having Tommy John surgery in May 2024.
The Padres held the Dodgers’ top four hitters — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández — to a combined 1 for 16, but still couldn’t prevail. Ohtani, in fact, struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh, extending his hitless skid to 0 for 8 since making his Dodgers pitching debut on Monday.
Instead, the Dodgers turned to the bottom of the lineup, including rookie Dalton Rushing, who stroked a two-run single in the fifth.
The Friars’ rally in the ninth started with a Dodger flub. Luis Arraez singles and Manny Machado grounded into a fielder’s choice to third, but Max Muncy’s throw was low to the outfield side. Second baseman Tommy Edman didn’t get his glove down as the ball rolled past, giving the Padres two runners on instead of a potential double play.
The Padres capitalized with Cronenworth’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly off reliever Justin Wrobleski (2-2) to drive in Arraez and Bogaerts’ RBI double to center to bring in Machado and tie it up. But Smith swiftly ended any hopes of making it to extras.
San Diego will try to salvage the final game of the four-game series, sending Ryan Bergert (1-0, 2.33 ERA) to the mound against the Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-5, 2.64).
Manager Mike Shildt sees the urgency, but doesn’t think Thursday’s game is make or break in the tough NL West.
“Yeah, you want to get one tomorrow, you know, regardless of the outcome tomorrow, our team will be mentally just fine,” he said.
Notes: Yu Darvish is expected to pitch another simulated game Friday, following his first sim game on Saturday, Shildt said. If all goes well, a rehab start could be next, according to the team. Darvish, 38, has been on the injured list all season due to right elbow inflammation. Meanwhile, Michael King is expected to be out at least through the All-Star break, Shildt said ahead of Wednesday’s game. King has been out about four weeks due to a pinched nerve in his right shoulder.
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