Teoscar Hernández’s 7th-inning grand slam sparks another Dodgers rally vs Padres

By: Beth Harris, The Associated Press Posted: 11:43 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 3, 2026

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead grand slam off reliever Adrian Morejon in the seventh inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for the second straight game to beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Friday night.

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Trailing 3-0, Hernández sent a 90-mph slider on the first pitch from Morejon (6-2) over the wall in center field. Mookie Betts walked and Max Muncy singled to chase starter Michael King.

Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth booted a grounder by Kyle Tucker that turned a potential double-play ball into the bases loaded with no outs. Muncy was safe at second on the miscue and Betts moved to third to set up Hernández’s sixth career grand slam.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández, right, scores hits a grand slam as Max Muncy, left, waits for him as San Diego Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon stands on the mound during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, July 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Dodgers came back from a 6-0 deficit to win 12-7 in the series opener Thursday.

Kyle Hurt (3-1) earned the win with one inning of scoreless relief. Tanner Scott stuck out the side in the ninth to earn his 12th save.

King retired the first 11 batters he faced while outpitching Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani. The first hit allowed was a single to Freddie Freeman with two outs in the fourth that extended the slugger’s on-base streak to 18 consecutive games.

Pitching on eight days’ rest, Ohtani allowed three runs and seven hits on a season-high 110 pitches — 73 for strikes — over six innings. He struck out nine. The designated hitter was hitless in three at-bats before being replaced in the seventh.

Ohtani’s first six pitches of the game were balls and he threw just one strike combined between the first two batters. Gavin Sheets’ RBI single was the first run Ohtani has allowed in the first inning this season. He had an ERA of zero in the first inning.

Jackson Merrill’s two-out solo shot extended San Diego’s lead to 2-0 in the fourth.

Ohtani’s start was pushed back from Wednesday to give him extra rest during a run of 13 games in 13 days. He has been dealing with a sore left knee and a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.

Up next

Padres RHP Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.09 ERA) starts Saturday against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamato (8-5, 2.67).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb