Tatis has 2 HRs, 3 RBIs off Kershaw, Padres beat Dodgers 5-2
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two home runs off Clayton Kershaw and had three RBIs for San Diego, which beat NL West rival Los Angeles 5-2 Friday night in the first meeting between the teams since the Padres eliminated the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
Yu Darvish (2-2) outpitched Kershaw (5-2), who was knocked out in the fifth inning in front of a loud, festive crowd on Cinco de Mayo. The division-leading Dodgers had their six-game winning streak snapped.
It was the first matchup between the teams since Oct. 15, when the Padres beat the 111-win Dodgers 5-3 on a rainy Saturday night to advance to the NL Championship Series for the first time in 24 years.
Tatis sent Padres fans into a frenzy when he homered to center leading off the third and again when he lined a two-run shot to left with no outs in the fifth for a 3-1 lead. He has four homers since returning April 20 from an 80-game PED suspension.
It was Tatis' ninth career multihomer game and fourth against the Dodgers. He also connected twice against Kershaw on April 23, 2021, at Dodger Stadium.
Tatis did his trademark stutter step around third base and a teammate placed a green, red, white and black sombrero on his head after he scored. Tatis bought the sombrero at the team's hotel in Mexico City a week earlier and the Padres began using it for home run celebrations the next day, when they hit six in a 16-11 win against San Francisco.
After Tatis' second homer, Manny Machado and Juan Soto singled before Kershaw struck out Xander Bogaerts and Nelson Cruz. Jake Cronenworth then walked and Machado scored on Ha-Seong Kim's infield single, when shortstop Miguel Rojas couldn't make the play to second baseman Miguel Vargas.
Manager Dave Roberts popped out of the dugout to lift the 35-year-old Kershaw, who allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked five.
It was just the second time in Kershaw's career in which worked as few innings and allowed as many earned runs and walks. On April 16, 2011, against St. Louis, he allowed five earned runs and walked five in 4 2/3 innings. It was his first-ever outing in which he allowed at least four earned runs, five walks and eight hits in 4 2/3 or fewer innings.
Kershaw, who won his previous four starts, saw his ERA rise from 1.89 to 2.53.
Darvish, moved up a day after Joe Musgrove developed a blister on his right foot, permitted two runs, one earned, and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 11th save.
The Padres, who have won 10 of 14, drew a season-high 11 walks.
The Dodgers had runners on second and third with no outs in the first after Mookie Betts drew a leadoff walk and advanced on Freddie Freeman's double into the right field corner. They got only one run out of it, though, when Betts slid in headfirst on Max Muncy's grounder to first base.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: OF Oscar Azocar was placed on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to Wednesday. OF Adam Engel was reinstated from the 10-day IL.
UP NEXT
Dodgers RHP Dustin May (3-1, 3.19 ERA) and Padres LHP Blake Snell (1-4, 5.28 ERA) are scheduled to start Saturday night.
