LOS ANGELES ― The Dodgers found a new way to win Sunday.
Eight pitchers teamed up to hand the San Diego Padres a 9-4 loss before an announced crowd of 48,522 at Dodger Stadium. After seeing their lead dwindle to one run, the Dodgers then used a four-run seventh inning to turn their unplanned “bullpen game” into a minor footnote.
The win separated the Dodgers (92-41) and Padres (74-61) by 19 games atop the National League West. Back-to-back wins to conclude the series reduced the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the division to nine games.
“We know where we’re at,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “We’ve got a big lead. But we want to continue to play good baseball.”
After their 5-1 lead shrank to 5-4 in the top of the seventh, Trayce Thompson hit a three-run pinch hit home run in the bottom of the inning off Adrian Morejon.
Thompson has eight home runs and 29 RBIs, mostly as a reserve, in 54 games since the Dodgers claimed him off waivers from the Padres in May.
The late offensive outburst made the win appear more comfortable than the 100-degree heat made it feel. Smith hit a solo home run for the Dodgers, Mookie Betts hit a pair of doubles, and Justin Turner’s 2-for-3 performance extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
Rookie right-hander Ryan Pepiot had been scheduled to take down the majority of the innings in relief of opener Caleb Ferguson, who struck out the side in a scoreless first inning.
But Pepiot struggled with his command, throwing 74 pitches across two innings. After issuing his fourth walk of the game, Pepiot handed the ball to left-hander Alex Vesia (4-0), who kicked off a parade of relief pitchers that ultimately held down the win.
“I just thought he ran out of gas,” manager Dave Roberts said of Pepiot. “They were spoiling a lot of pitches. He just didn’t have enough to put those guys away. We had to cover some innings. It was good to see those guys come through to pick us up.”
Vesia retired four of the five batters he faced. Right-hander Chris Martin retired three of his four. Heath Hembree pitched a clean sixth inning, then ran into trouble with one out in the seventh.
Juan Soto singled. Josh Bell singled with one out, sending Soto to third. Right-hander Evan Phillips took over with two outs and allowed a hit ― a two-run double by Jurickson Profar ― for the first time since Aug. 6. He had not allowed an inherited runner to score since May.
Another double to right field, this one by Jake Cronenworth, drove in Profar to bring the Padres within 5-4. Phillips then hit former Dodger Matt Beaty with a pitch before striking out Trent Grisham to end the inning.
Turner followed a walk by Smith and a single by Max Muncy with an RBI double, giving the Dodgers a 6-4 lead. That set the stage for Thompson’s home run, the second pinch-hit homer of his career.
Shortstop Trea Turner committed a pair of throwing errors, one of which led directly to the Padres’ first run. But a five-run fourth inning knocked out Padres starter Mike Clevinger (5-6) and temporarily gave the Dodgers a comfortable 5-1 lead.
The Dodgers will welcome the San Francisco Giants to Dodger Stadium for three games beginning Monday. Their taxed bullpen could use a lift from starter Andrew Heaney, but this might be the Dodgers’ most pressing concern as the smell of another division title grows stronger.
“There’s still a lot of baseball,” Roberts said. “I’m just encouraged. “It wasn’t a clean game, but the way we responded after they put some runs on the board was good to see.”