Dodgers Highlights: Austin Barnes Hits Home Run Off Yu Darvish; Max Scherzer Overpowers Padres
Austin Barnes, Dino Ebel
Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports
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The Los Angeles Dodgers built on a record-setting night to pick up a 4-0 win against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers not only completed a series sweep at Petco Park, they kept pace with the San Francisco Giants are still are just 2.5 games back of first place.

Yu Darvish got off to a strong start in his return from the 10-day injured list as the Dodgers were without a baserunner through two innings. Billy McKinney changed that with a leadoff walk in the third, and Austin Barnes broke up Darvish’s early no-hit bid with a two-run home run.

Trea Turner kept the inning alive with a two-out double and that paid off as Corey Seager’s fly ball to right field carried over Fernando Tatis Jr.’s head for an RBI extra-base hit that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0.

Darvish was let down by the Padres defense again in the fourth inning when AJ Pollock’s line drive to center field went off Trent Grisham’s glove for a leadoff triple. Cody Bellinger immediately cashed that in with a sacrifice fly.

Darvish got through six innings and the Dodgers failed to tack on more runs agains the San Diego bullpen, but their lead was more than enough for Max Scherzer.

He bounced back from a subpar performance to give the Dodgers bullpen a needed night of rest. Scherzer also was perfect through two innings, and he stranded a one-out double in the third. That wound up being just one of two hits Scherzer allowed over 7.2 shutout innings.

The other was a leadoff double to Grisham in the fifth inning, which Scherzer compounded by then hitting Jurickson Profar with a pitch. However, he came right back to get a strikeout and was aided by Justin Turner making an impressive stop for the start of an inning-ending double play.

Scherzer recorded two outs in the eighth before giving way to Shane Greene. Joe Kelly then entered in the ninth to finish off the sweep.

Dodgers roster crunch

Mookie Betts went 0-for-3 with a walk in his first game back from the IL. Darien Núñez, who was recalled prior to first pitch, did not appear in Thursday’s win.

Matt Beaty and Gavin Lux were both optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City as the corresponding roster moves. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained it largely was a numbers game and due to the players having Minor League options remaining.

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