Dodgers breathe fire in 5-run 8th to assert themselves in SD

SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers came into this four-game set against the Padres at Petco Park, knowing that San Diego was going to raise its level of play. That’s what usually happens in these matchups. The Dodgers, at times, didn’t match that energy last season.

The 2023 Dodgers, however, while not as talented as last year’s team, do have the ability to raise their intensity when needed. That’s exactly what happened during a five-run eighth inning that carried them to a 10-5 victory on Friday night.

• This Dodger deserves MVP consideration

Struggling to figure out Yu Darvish for seven innings, the Dodgers had to wait to get into the San Diego bullpen before striking in a big way.

“It’s a resilient club,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was a tale of two games offensively. First six innings were sort of lifeless. Credit to Yu. But after that, we picked up.”

Kiké Hernández opened the eighth with a single off Robert Suarez. Mookie Betts then walked, setting the stage for Freddie Freeman, who came into the series swinging a red-hot bat. But Freeman hit a flare to short and Will Smith struck out, leaving it up to David Peralta to be the hero.

With the Dodgers trailing by a run, Peralta was able to come through with a two-out, two-strike double off Suarez to tie the game at three. Following Peralta’s big knock, the Dodgers’ dugout erupted in celebration.

“That’s what we’ve been doing all year. Putting together at-bats, a team approach,” Peralta said. “That was a huge inning for us. We got the opportunity to score some runs, and that’s what we did. That’s what it’s all about. That’s a team win. Celebrate today and then we’re going to be ready for tomorrow to do the same thing.”

Chris Taylor and J.D. Martinez continued the rally with back-to-back bases-loaded walks to give the Dodgers a 5-3 lead. Then it was Amed Rosario who delivered the big blow, a two-run single off left-hander Tom Cosgrove to double the lead.

“We hung in there,” Roberts said. “We kept it a ballgame, and then we got to Suarez, which was big. And then we got to the lefty, Cosgrove. It was just great to see our guys use the whole field. You know, Rosario has done it a couple nights in a row. David continues to come up with big hits. Situationally, I thought we were really good tonight.”

Coming up with big hits wasn’t the only thing the Dodgers did well on Friday. They were able to put together quite the highlight reel defensively.

The Padres usually play their best when they have momentum on their side, but in the first inning James Outman made sure to zap the energy out of the building with one of the best catches of his young career.

With a runner on first, Fernando Tatis Jr. jumped on a Bobby Miller fastball and gave it a ride to center field. Outman, who also homered and stole a base, immediately put his head down and tracked the ball. As he got near the wall, Outman leaped up and made a spectacular catch before banging into the outfield wall. Miller, who went just 3 2/3 innings on Friday, was able to use that catch to get out of the first inning without allowing a run.

“It felt good. Felt good to stack plays,” Outman said. “You got to get a ball you can make a good play on and you’ve got to get a good pitch to hit.”

With the win on Friday the Dodgers improved to 6-1 against the Padres this year, giving them 28 wins in the past 34 regular-season matchups. Overall, the Dodgers have now won four consecutive games after dropping two home series to the Blue Jays and Reds, respectively.

While they didn’t make a big splash at the Trade Deadline on Tuesday, they continue to show they have assembled a group that will, once again, be expected to make a deep run in October.

“We have a great group of guys,” Peralta said. “The new pieces and everything. And it makes this team better. So we got good things to do.”