Dodgers shut out Padres in Game 4, bring series back home
Gavin Lux of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO (KTTV) - The Los Angeles Dodgers held off elimination Wednesday night, shutting out the San Diego Padres 8-0 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Now, the series comes home to Los Angeles on Friday night.
For the second straight night, Mookie Betts got the scoring started in just the first inning, with a solo shot to left-center field. The Dodgers scored in each of the first three innings and chased Padres starter Dylan Cease after just 1.2 innings. The Boys in Blue then tacked three more runs on in the seventh.
The Padres have lost the last three games Cease has started, all against the Dodgers. Meanwhile, Dodger manager Dave Roberts decided to turn to the bullpen for Game 4, and it paid off. Eight Dodger pitchers combined for the shutout — the largest shutout win in Dodgers postseason history.
SUGGESTED: NLDS: Padres ask fans to ‘stay classy’ as series heads to San Diego
Now, the series will wrap up Friday at Dodger Stadium. The winner will go on to face the New York Mets, after they took down the Philadelphia Phillies earlier Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. PT.
A loss for the Dodgers Wednesday would have been nothing short of disaster, after they earned the No. 1 seed in the National League, and after they spent $1 billion in the offseason to sign Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernández.
The Dodgers have made the postseason for 12 straight years, but don’t have much to show for it. They won it all in a COVID-shortened 2020 season, but haven’t made it out of the Divisional round since 2021. Prior to the 2024 postseason, the Dodgers had lost six straight playoff games, dating back to 2022 when the Dodgers were knocked out in the NLDS to the Padres. The Dodgers had the No. 1 seed back then, too.
SERIES SCHEDULE
- GAME 1: Dodgers 7, Padres 5. Final.
- GAME 2: Padres 10, Dodgers 2. Final.
- GAME 3: Padres 6, Dodgers 5. Final.
- GAME 4: Dodgers 8, Padres 0. Final.
- GAME 5: HOME, Friday, Oct. 11, 5:08 p.m. PT
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Dodgers secured the first-round bye and a spot in the NLDS after finishing the 2024 regular season with a 98-64 record.
Should the Dodgers advance, the Boys in Blue are guaranteed home field advantage for the NLCS and – knock on wood – can also host games 1, 2, 5 and 7 of the World Series, if they get that far.
The Padres punched their ticket to the NLDS after sweeping the Atlanta Braves in the wildcard round. San Diego got into the postseason after finishing the regular season with a 93-69 record.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.