The Los Angeles Dodgers were led in their rout of the San Diego Padres by Austin Barnes and Logan Forsythe, as the duo combined to hit two home runs and drive in seven of the team’s nine runs.
When the Dodgers loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning, Dodger Stadium went into an early buzz with Cody Bellinger stepping into the batter’s box. The slugging rookie was called out on strikes, which let some air out of the balloon.
The disappointment was quickly erased as Forsythe pulled a bases-clearing double into the left-center field gap. Then in the third inning, Forsythe lined a solo home run into the left-field pavilion to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0.
He added a single in the seventh inning to finish 3-for-3 on the night and a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised his infielder for being more aggressive in the strike zone.
Forsythe’s big night was nearly matched by Barnes on one swing. He went opposite field for a three-run home run in the fifth inning that put the game out of reach. The home run was Barnes’ eighth this season.
Barnes credited his success at the plate this year to finding a rhythm with semi-regular starts. Roberts reiterated postgame he’s equally comfortable with Barnes and Yasmani Grandal.
The Dodgers’ win was their 100th this season. It’s the seventh team in franchise history to reach 100 wins, and the first since the 1974 club won 102 games. That holds as the most in Los Angeles history.
