Dodgers vs Padres Recap: Late rally seals 5-4 win

The Los Angeles Dodgers traveled to San Diego on Wednesday, May 20, ready for battle. Both teams brought strong pitching staffs to the field. Emmet Sheehan took the mound for the Dodgers, while Griffin Canning started for the Padres at home. Coming into the game, the Dodgers had won two straight games and held a 31-19 record. The Padres, meanwhile, had dropped their last two games and sat at 29-20. This matchup promised fireworks because both teams relied heavily on their pitching. However, the bats would dominate early as the teams traded powerful swings. When the dust settled, the Dodgers edged out a 5-4 victory in an exciting contest. The win kept Los Angeles rolling in the competitive division.

The game exploded with offense right from the opening inning. Freeman stepped up to the plate for the Dodgers with Ohtani on third base. He connected with a 4-seam fastball traveling 96 miles per hour. Freeman's bat met the ball with incredible force at 101 miles per hour of exit velocity. The ball soared 356 feet over the left field wall, and the crowd watched it disappear. Ohtani scored on the home run, giving Los Angeles an early 2-0 lead. But San Diego answered back immediately in the bottom of the first inning. Machado crushed his own home run to center field, launching the ball 404 feet with 108 miles per hour of exit velocity. His blast brought Sheets home, tying the game 2-2. Both offenses came ready to fight.

San Diego took the lead in the third inning when Andujar launched a two-run homer to left field. The ball sailed 393 feet with 107 miles per hour of exit velocity, giving the Padres a 4-2 advantage. Tatis Jr. had scored on the blast. Los Angeles refused to quit, however. In the fifth inning, Ohtani grounded out, but that allowed T. Hernández to score from third base, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Freeman stepped up again in the sixth inning and launched another home run to right center, this one traveling 399 feet. That tied the game 4-4. In the ninth inning, Alex Call scored on a sacrifice fly by Andy Pages, giving the Dodgers the winning run. Los Angeles secured the 5-4 victory.