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Dodgers Edge Padres 5-4, Freeman’s Two Homers Secure Lead

5/21/2026

50 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Pages' Sacrifice Fly

Andy Pages' sacrifice fly gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
Mason Miller, who entered with 15 saves and a 0.82 ERA, surrendered the hit after nine pitches while Freddie Freeman added two homers.
The bullpen threw five scoreless innings while Will Klein recorded his first career save, moving Los Angeles to 30-19 and retaking first place in the NL West.

Summary

Ohtani Starts

The split series left the Dodgers and Padres tied, creating a decisive rubber match on Wednesday night.
Los Angeles will start Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) in the final game, hoping his arm secures the win.
Ohtani added two home runs in Tuesday’s contest, underscoring his offensive impact.
Before the game, the Padres held a half-game lead in the NL West while their pitching staff kept Dodgers’ offense in check through Tuesday.

Summary

Machado Ties Game

Manny Machado homered in the inning, tying the game after Freddie Freeman’s early blast.
Freddie Freeman entered ill, having logged one hit in 17 at-bats over his last five games.
Emmet Sheehan started for Los Angeles on Tuesday, with teammates expected to offset Freeman’s reduced production.
They had scored 31 runs against the Los Angeles Angels, a team considered possibly the worst in baseball.

History

Historical Context

After the Padres beat the Dodgers 5–2 on Sept. 28, 1998 to capture the NL West, the franchise earned its second division title in three years. The West has seen several one-game playoffs, notably the Dodgers-Rockies 5–2 tie-breaker on Oct. 1, 2018, which became one of the final tie-breakers before MLB abolished the format in 2022.

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Pages' Sacrifice Fly

Andy Pages' sacrifice fly gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
Mason Miller, who entered with 15 saves and a 0.82 ERA, surrendered the hit after nine pitches while Freddie Freeman added two homers.
The bullpen threw five scoreless innings while Will Klein recorded his first career save, moving Los Angeles to 30-19 and retaking first place in the NL West.

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