Dodgers daze Darvish with 3 homers in 1st

LOS ANGELES -- In the first two games of this series against the Padres, the Dodgers’ pitching staff dominated the headlines with stellar performances. On Saturday, the Dodgers’ offense wanted a piece of the action.

Before the 47,061 fans in attendance could even get settled into their seats, the Dodgers’ offense was taking Padres’ starter and former Dodger Yu Darvish for a ride. Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Justin Turner all hit solo homers in the first inning, leading the way for the Dodgers in a 7-2 win over the Padres.

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The Dodgers have now won five of the first six games against the Padres this season and 14 of their last 15 dating to last season. Los Angeles has extended its lead atop the National League West to 4 1/2 games over San Diego and should also wake up to even more good news as Mookie Betts -- who has been out with a fractured rib -- is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday.

“You always want to play good against division opponents, especially against the team that is right behind you,” Freeman said. “Nobody in here is looking at standings, it’s way too early for that. But to know that you can go out there and play good baseball when you need to.”

Freeman got the scoring started with a no-doubter into the visiting bullpen in right field. It was his 10th homer of the season, five of them in his last 13 games. All of that coming as he navigates two of the longest weeks of his career.

His return to Atlanta was emotional, perhaps even more so than he could’ve anticipated. All that emotion became a topic of conversation around baseball, including inside the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Earlier this week, Freeman and his family decided to part ways with his agent, creating another wave of attention.

Despite the outside turmoil, Freeman has taken the necessary steps to close his chapter with the Braves. His performance on the field has shown that. With Betts on the injured list, Freeman has been the steady force leading the Dodgers’ lineup. Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk on Saturday and has recorded two or more hits in eight of his last 14 games.

“As an offense, all we’re trying to do is score runs early to help our starters settle down and pitch great,” Freeman said. “To score three runs and then tack on and tack on in the first three innings, that was huge for us.”

Two pitches after Freeman went yard, Smith joined the party with an opposite-field blast, his 13th of the season. Like Freeman, Smith is swinging the bat as well as he has all season. Five of his homers have come in the last 11 games.

The same can be said for Turner, who has had a rough season at the plate. Turner hit two homers in the series opener on Thursday and has hit safely in three of his last four games. The Dodgers were able to tack on a few more runs against the Padres’ bullpen.

“Really excited about the way we’re playing baseball,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “It just shows what we’re capable of. When we take good team at-bats and are good situationally, good things happen.”

Los Angeles has gotten consistent production out of its starting pitchers. That continued on Saturday as Tyler Anderson allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings. The offense, however, hasn’t been able to find the same consistency this season.

But the series against the Padres has brought out the best in them. This is the type of constant pressure most people expected out of the Dodgers’ lineup this season. It has come at the perfect time.

“Over the course of a 162-game season, there’s obviously ebbs and flows of the offense and we’ve seen a couple little ruts, but the capability of this lineup is pretty special,” Turner said. “I don’t think you’re going to see us in those [slumps] for too long.”