The Los Angeles Dodgers took the field at Petco Park Wednesday night facing the San Diego Padres looking to earn their first sweep of the young season.
The Dodgers bats came alive, scoring early and often, and the Dodgers were able to come away with a sweep by defeating the Padres 13-4 to move to 8-9 on the season.
Los Angeles got the game started with a three-spot in the first inning. Corey Seager walked, and that was followed by three straight hits by Yasmani Grandal Cody Bellinger and Matt Kemp.
Kemp’s was an infield single that Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva threw into right field trying to make the play, which allowed two runs to score.
The Dodgers then added another run in the second on an RBi-single by Seager, scoring Max Muncy who walked earlier in the inning. Muncy was making his first career start for the Dodgers.
A big exclamation mark came in the top of the third inning when the Dodgers scored five runs on six hits. Among them were doubles by both Bellinger and Chase Utley, and a big two-run opposite field home run off the bat of Muncy, his first as a Dodger.
Kenta Maeda was tasked with holding the big lead for the Dodgers, although he struggled a bit early. The Padres scored two runs off him in the second inning after he walked in a run with the bases loaded and then allowed a sacrifice fly to fellow pitcher Luis Perdomo.
He then gave up two more in the third on a two-run double off the bat of Luis Perdomo. He settled in nicely from there though, retiring every batter he faced in the fourth and fifth innings. He allowed two runners to reach base in the six before coming out with two outs in the inning.
Maeda finished with 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings, and Adam Liberatore came in to get the last out of the sixth to keep the Dodgers lead at 9-4.
Liberatore then stayed in for the seventh and tossed a scoreless inning, complete his solid season debut after being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day.
The Dodgers then added another four runs for good measure in the top of the eighth and ninth on an RBI-hits by Grandal, Yasiel Puig and Seager, completing the 13-4 victory. J.T. Chargois and Wilmer Font tossed the final couple innings of relief.
