Betts, Freeman homer back-to-back, lift Dodgers to 4-2 win over Padres

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This article was published 12/05/2023 (912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A couple of former MVPs powered the Los Angeles Dodgers to a division win.

Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman homered back-to-back to regain the lead in the seventh inning, and the NL West leaders defeated the San Diego Padres 4-2 on Friday night for their third straight victory.

“That’s why they’re superstars,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Every time they get up to bat they can change the game.”

The Padres rallied to tie the game 2-all with two outs in the top of the seventh. Ha-Seong Kim doubled to left field off starter Dustin May, scoring Xander Bogaerts and pinch-runner Rougned Odor.

With one out, Betts hit a 426-foot shot to left and Freeman followed with a 370-foot drive to right off Tim Hill (1-1) for a 4-2 lead.

“Mookie hitting a home run just kind of energizes everyone,” Freeman said. “That’s just showing who we are the last two weeks. It was overall a great performance. We’ve been playing good baseball the last couple weeks.”

Caleb Ferguson (3-0) got two outs for the win.

May retired his first 10 batters against a San Diego lineup that included five left-handed hitters. The right-hander allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Evan Phillips pitched 1 1/3 innings to earn his seventh save. He got Manny Machado to ground into an inning-ending double play in the eighth.

“It was big to step up in that moment,” Phillips said. “It feels good to get us out of a jam like that.”

Padres starter Blake Snell issued consecutive walks to Trayce Thompson and Betts to begin the third. Freeman followed with a double to right, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

Snell didn’t have his first 1-2-3 inning until the sixth, and by then the left-hander had thrown 101 pitches to conclude his outing. He gave up two runs and four hits, struck out four and walked four.

The Padres dropped below .500, having lost three in a row and five of six.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: C Luis Campusano had surgery on his sprained left thumb. He’ll be out at least eight weeks.

Dodgers: RHP Noah Syndergaard will throw a bullpen Saturday with the cut on his right index finger covered with an adhesive product. “If he can get out of that, I don’t see why he wouldn’t make his start on Monday,” Roberts said. Syndergaard left his start Tuesday in Milwaukee after one inning because of the cut, which left blood on the ball. He threw on Friday. … Los Angeles reinstated J.D. Martinez from the injured list after he missed 15 games with lower back tightness. … Ferguson was activated off the paternity list, the fifth Dodgers player who had a baby within the first 1 1/2 months of the season.

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Padres: RHP Joe Musgrove (1-0, 6.75 ERA) faces LA for the second straight start. He allowed one run and two hits in five innings while striking out five in a 5-2 loss last weekend.

Dodgers: LHP Julio Urías (4-3, 3.77) is 6-1 in 16 career games (11 starts) against the Padres.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports