Dodgers’ AJ Pollock steals a home run, drives in 2 in victory over Padres

SAN DIEGO — Following the aforesaid trajectory the San Diego Padres’ play seems to beryllium taking, it started disconnected successful promising fashion, breathtaking the section fans and raising precocious hopes lone to nutrient disappointment.

Manny Machado’s alert shot successful the 4th inning Tuesday nighttime was caught by Dodgers near fielder AJ Pollock who leaped and reached implicit the partition into the stands to rob Machado of a two-run location tally that would person fixed the Padres momentum and a lead.

They ne'er did lead. Pollock had a two-run azygous to spell with his two-run bargain and the Dodgers held connected to bushed the Padres for the archetypal clip since April, 5-2, astatine Petco Park.

The 2 teams that were expected to beryllium successful lockstep each year, producing the champion contention the NL West has seen successful years, are heading successful other directions.

The Padres person swan-dived retired of the 2nd National League chaotic paper (the Cincinnati Reds present pb them by a crippled for that spot) by losing 10 of their past 12 games. Meanwhile, the Dodgers person surged, winning 14 of their past 16 – though that has conscionable near them idling 2½ games down the Giants … successful the champion contention the NL West has seen successful years.

The Dodgers held a 1-0 pb erstwhile Machado’s alert shot took formation acknowledgment to a solo location tally by Will Smith successful the 2nd inning. Thanks to Pollock, Smith’s homer was the lone deed successful the crippled until Eric Hosmer’s one-out treble successful the 5th inning.

Dodgers starter Julio Urias worked retired of a first-and-third jam that inning. The left-hander was freshly returned from the injured list, missing 10 days (but conscionable 1 start) with a calf bruise, and didn’t spell past the 5th inning.

Having protected the one-run pb successful the fourth, Pollock expanded it successful the seventh. Justin Turner led disconnected with a azygous and went to 3rd connected a Corey Seager double. Both held their crushed connected an infield single, Machado smothering Chris Taylor’s hard crushed shot down the enactment but incapable to emergence and marque a play.

Pollock drove them some successful with a azygous to close tract past the Dodgers enactment 2 much runs connected the committee successful the eighth, gathering connected conscionable 1 deed (a leadoff treble by Trea Turner) to marque it 5-0.

Their presumption successful the bullpen rising by the day, Phil Bickford and Alex Vesia had retired the Padres successful bid successful the sixth and seventh. But Corey Knebel gave up a two-run location tally to Jurickson Profar successful the eighth. Called connected to enactment retired the fire, Blake Treinen added kindling, walking Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado earlier striking retired Jake Cronenworth to extremity the inning.

Kenley Jansen handled the ninth but not earlier giving up a two-out azygous to Wil Myers and walking Profar to extremity an 11-pitch battle, bringing the tying tally to the plate. Jansen stranded some by striking retired Adam Frazier to extremity the game.

More to travel connected this story.

AJ Pollock brought it back! 😮 pic.twitter.com/lnC4OPODDg

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2021