The Dodgers turned a 6-0 hole into a 12-7 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, and the comeback began after Roki Sasaki was chased in the fourth inning. Sasaki gave up three home runs among seven hits in three innings, a start that left the National League West leaders digging out of a mess almost from the first pitch.
That is why Dodgers Game Today mattered beyond the final score. Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled on Sasaki's first pitch, Manny Machado homered in the first, Jackson Merrill led off the second with another homer and Jake Cronenworth added a three-run shot, turning the night into an early avalanche before Los Angeles answered.
The rally came in pieces, but it was enough to flip the game for good when the Dodgers scored four runs in the fourth inning. Andy Pages tied it with a double down the left-field line, then Mookie Betts and Max Muncy each drove in runs as the crowd at Dodger Stadium watched the deficit disappear. From there, the Dodgers controlled the rest of the night and left the Padres without a late answer.
What made the outing linger was not just the damage on the scoreboard. Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo that he needed to work on his command, and he added, “I don’t think my stuff was bad today.” That distinction matters because the concern around him is not whether his pitches can move, but whether he can place them where he wants after a June swoon that kept going on a night when opponents seemed ready for too much of what he threw.
Dave Roberts sounded relieved more than impressed, saying, “Thankfully, it played out the way I didn’t expect,” and, “or the way it started.” He also pointed back to the broader form of the club, saying, “We had a great May, so let’s just get back to competing and making pitches,” which is exactly the task now for a team that remains in first and for a pitcher whose next start will be watched for signs that this was a command problem, not something deeper.
