The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 15-3 on June 28, 2026, fueled by a nine-run outburst in the sixth inning at San Diego's ballpark [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for the Dodgers and earned his 8th win of the season by pitching six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks [1, 2, 6, 3]. The Dodgers tallied 17 hits overall, including three home runs in the sixth inning from Kyle Tucker, Dalton Rushing, and Mookie Betts, with back-to-back homers by Tucker and Rushing [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Dodgers infielder Tommy Edman called the sixth inning surge a sign of their "strong lineup" capable of explosive performances anytime [4].
Yamamoto reflected on his outing saying, "The state today was as usual, but the home run I allowed was a little high and center. If I had better control or pitched lower, it probably wouldn’t have gone over the wall. I look forward to winning the championship" [6]. He also said he stayed focused warming up quietly on the bench after extended periods of Dodgers' offense delays [3].
The nine-run inning was Los Angeles’ highest single-inning run total at San Diego since June 28, 1969, and the Dodgers have had three games with nine or more runs in a single inning this June, the second most in franchise history [1, 2, 4]. Mookie Betts extended his home run streak to three consecutive games during this period [5]. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Betts’ attacking approach, noting he "has more determination and less hesitation in the batter’s box" [5].
The Dodgers completed the three-game series by beating the Padres 4-2 on June 29. Shohei Ohtani helped lead the offense with a 1-for-4 performance that included a go-ahead RBI single in the third inning and a walk, extending his hitting streak to four games [7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. Emmett Sheehan started for the Dodgers and earned his 4th win by pitching five innings, allowing one earned run and striking out five [7, 8, 10]. Padres starter Michael King struggled with control in the fifth, issuing several walks and hitting a batter, contributing to three runs by the Dodgers in that inning [7, 8, 10].
Roberts said of Ohtani's key hit, "That was a very important timely hit... Michael King is an excellent pitcher, so gaining the lead early was very important." He added Ohtani’s left knee "is not 100% but it no longer affects his ability to play" [9].
With the sweep, the Dodgers improved to a 54-30 record and hold a 10-game lead over the second-place Padres in the NL West as of June 29 [7, 8, 10, 11]. Yamamoto is scheduled to start the next Dodgers game on July 2 against the Oakland Athletics [12].
