The Dodgers, after falling 1-0 in the series opener, came back to take the final two games against the Padres. They finished Wednesday night by defeating the Padres 4-0 behind strong pitching and a decent amount of offense.
Shohei Ohtani got the start on the mound, but he got the game started on the first pitch.
SHO’ING OFF ON THE FIRST PITCH OF THE GAME. pic.twitter.com/AJalWtBWl8
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 21, 2026
He seems to be finding his groove at the plate. He was in the lineup tonight, despite pitching, because the Dodgers have a day off on Thursday. He finished 1-for-4 with that homer, a walk and two runs scored.
On the mound, Ohtani turned in his shortest outing of the season: 5 IP, 3 H 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 88 pitches, 53 strikes. However, he still held the San Diego offense scoreless.
His worst jam came in the fifth inning. He allowed back-to-back singles to Bryce Johnson and Nick Castellanos. A Ramon Laureano fielder’s choice put runners at 1st and 3rd with one out. Laureano stole second base, after which, Ohtani walked the No. 9 hitter in Freddy Fermin. That setup a bases loaded, one out showdown with worm-killer Fernando Tatis Jr. Here’s how that at-bat ended.
SHOTIME. ? pic.twitter.com/a32GB7Me92
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 21, 2026
Ohtani owns a 0.73 ERA on the season, lol.
Freddie Freeman also seems to be turning things around, as he went 2-for-5 with two doubles. Kyle Tucker chipped in with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Teoscar Hernandez had two RBIs of his own — a sacrifice fly in the third inning and this in the ninth inning.
Stop and stare, Teo. pic.twitter.com/phvRwRSuC8
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 21, 2026
An absolute tank. Bravo, Teo.
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The bullpen turned in four scoreless innings to extend its scoreless streak to 29 innings — the most since the 1998 Dodgers. Edgardo Henriquez, Blake Treinen, Kyle Hurt and Will Klein allowed a total of two hits (both by Hurt in a 3-0 game), no walks and struck out four. Hurt got a key double play in the eighth innings in a high-leverage spot for him. That was good to see.
The Dodgers move to 31-19 and open up a 1 1/2-game lead on the Padres, who fell to 29-20. After a day off tomorrow, the Dodgers open a 3-game series in Milwaukee with the Brewers in a rematch of last year’s NLCS. Justin Wrobleski (6-1, 2.49 ERA) takes on Logan Henderson (1-1, 3.50). First pitch is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. Pacific time.