Dodgers hit four homers in 8th, rally past Padres 11-9
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers still have a heartbeat in the NL West race, and it was throbbing late in the game.
Corey Seager hit a go-ahead, tworun homer in the eighth inning, when Los Angeles went deep four times to rally past the San Diego Padres 11-9 on Wednesday night.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called it “a crazy explosion.”
The defending World Series champions trailed 9-6 before Max Muncy and AJ Pollock began the onslaught by going back-to-back off Emilio Pagan (4-3). With one out, Cody Bellinger launched a shot to right field that tied the game. Pinchhitter Justin Turner doubled to deep left and scored on Seager’s shot to right with two outs.
“That’s a whirlwind in a really short time,” Seager said.
Thanks to their scintillating comeback, the playoff-bound Dodgers remained two games behind NL Westleading San Francisco with four to play in the regular season. The Giants beat Arizona 1-0.
“We’re still trying to accomplish a goal and still fighting for that,” Seager said.
Many fans had already left Dodger Stadium, but those who remained were on their feet in the eighth, chanting and cheering as the outburst sent the crowd into a frenzy.
“We just never gave up,” Seager said. “We kind of felt in that game the whole time.”
It was the first time the Dodgers homered four times in an inning since Sept. 5, 2016, against Arizona. Seager played in that game, too.
Mookie Betts hit a solo shot in the seventh to begin the rally, and Pollock had a two-run homer in the first.
Los Angeles blew leads of 4-0 and 5-1 on a night when Max Scherzer struggled and got his second straight no-decision.
David Price (5-2) pitched the eighth to earn the win. Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the ninth for his 37th save.
Muncy’s homer was his careerhigh 36th.
“I went back and looked at every pitch, all 20,” Pagan said. “The only one that I didn’t like was the one that Muncy hit. This has been happening to me for way too long with, in my opinion, too good of stuff.”
Scherzer got knocked around in his roughest start since he joined the Dodgers from Washington at the trade deadline on July 30.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up six runs — five earned — and a season-high 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander,
whose 2.28 ERA was the lowest in the NL coming in, struck out four and walked none. He allowed two homers, just the sixth time he’s given up more than one in a game this season and the third time the Padres have done it to him.
“He just didn’t have good command,” Roberts said. “He’s picked us up many times over and we picked him up. He was one of the happiest guys after.”
San Diego’s Victor Caratini went 3 for 4 and homered off
Scherzer. Former Dodger Manny Machado launched a two-run shot in the third to leave the Padres trailing 5-3.
“This one definitely hurts because of the way we came back,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. “I thought we did a great job of swinging the bat.”