The Dodgers combined disciplined, competitive at-bats with retained power to snap a two-game offensive slump in an 8-2 win over the Padres at Petco Park. After producing just two runs and five hits in the previous two games and falling to second in the NL West, the lineup manufactured baserunners and capitalized on mistakes, highlighted by a five-run seventh. Dalton Rushing hit a three-run homer to break a tie and Freddie Freeman added a long ball. The club totaled nine hits and four walks in an eight-run outburst that returned them to a first-place tie.
Dave Roberts sought the best of both worlds from his slumping Dodgers offense Sunday. More competitive at-bats, a more disciplined two-strike approach, and a renewed team-first mindset at the plate on the one hand. But also, amid a two-month funk that dropped them to second place in the National League West, to not abandon the slugging prowess that makes them who they are.
Indeed, everything the Dodgers were missing in their first two games against the San Diego Padres this weekend - when they combined for just two runs and five hits to relinquish their place atop the division standings - came roaring suddenly back when the club needed it most. In a sweep-evading 8-2 win over the Padres at Petco Park on Sunday, the Dodgers got back to working better at-bats, manufacturing consistent baserunners, then pouncing on mistakes with their lineup's trademark pop.
In their losses on Friday and Saturday, the Dodgers' problems had been simple. They didn't adjust to a Padres pitching staff that attacked them carefully. They didn't grind with two strikes, or shorten up their swings, or do enough little things to unlock their long-scuffling offense (which led the majors in scoring through June, but had ranked 24th in the two months since).
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