Padres rally to tie, but Betts’ blast in eighth seals Dodgers’ 5-4 win

The Padres were down by four runs in the first inning, but managed to claw their way back and tie the game in the eighth before the Dodgers again took the lead again and held onto it en route to a 5-4 victory Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

Padres player Ramón Laureano homered in the fifth and Fernando Tatis Jr., Ryan O’Hearn and Jose Iglesias all drove in runs that allowed San Diego to eventually tie the game 4-4. But in the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts homered to give L.A. the lead for good.

The loss was the third straight for San Diego, and knocked the Padres further down the National League West standings. But the good news is that the two teams will rematch this coming weekend, this time at Petco Park.

Just like in the game the night before, the Dodgers got off to a fast start on Sunday. Two Dodgers had already gotten on base early in the first inning when Freddie Freeman hit his 15th homer of the season, a three-run fly ball to center field.

The men on base, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, scored from second and first base, respectively, making the score 3-0.

It then got worse for starting pitcher Yu Darvish. L.A.’s Andy Pages hit a solo home run on a fly ball to left-center field, his 20th homer of the season, to make the score 4-0.

The Padres finally got on the board in the third, courtesy of Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit a double on a line drive to right field that allowed Jake Cronenworth to get home from third and reduced the Padres’ deficit by a run.

San Diego then gained more ground in the fifth, when Laureano homered — his 19th dinger of the season — on a fly ball to right-center field, making the score 4-2.

After four innings, Darvish was relieved on the mound by Jason Adam after giving up four runs on three hits, but none after the first.

His counterpart, Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, was replaced by left-hander Anthony Banda to start the sixth. Banda immediately gave up two doubles, including one by O’Hearn, who hit a fly ball to right field that allowed Gavin Sheets to score from second, making the score 4-3.

And just like that, Banda’s afternoon was ended after just two batters. He was pulled by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in favor of Ben Casparius, who himself was subbed out for Blake Treinen to start of the seventh.

In the eighth, the Padres’ Xander Bogaerts scored from third following an Iglesias ground out ball. This tied things at 4-4. But after working all game to mount a comeback, it only took the three swings of the bat for the Padres to fall behind again.

It happened in the bottom of the eighth, when Mookie Betts hit his 13th home run of the season, a fly ball to left-center field that put L.A. up for good, 5-4.

Coming into this three-game road series, Padres were on a five-game win streak and had the National League West lead, while the Dodgers had been on a four-game losing streak and dropped out of first in the NL West. But after losing three straight to L.A., San Diego sits at second place in the division with a 69-55 record, and the Dodgers improved to 71-53.

It won’t be long before the Padres and Dodgers face off again, however. San Diego returns to Petco Park tomorrow for a seven-game home stand against the same divisional rivals that it faced this past week.

First, they welcome the San Francisco Giants from Monday through Thursday, then have a chance for revenge against the Dodgers from Friday through Sunday. Nestor Cortes is slated to start for the Padres on Monday; first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.

Notes: Darvish celebrated his 39th birthday on Saturday. Opposing starter Glasnow turns 31 this coming Saturday, and is scheduled to pitch against the Padres that day at Petco Park.