LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts and Corey Seager homered back-to-back in the first inning, Justin Turner and AJ Pollock did the same in the fourth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres with an 8-3 victory Thursday night.
The defending World Series champions remained two games behind NL West-leading San Francisco after the Giants beat Arizona 5-4 with a walk-off hit in the ninth inning. The Dodgers won their 12th in a row at home and are set to close out the regular season with three home games against NL Central-champion Milwaukee while the Giants will host San Diego.
The sellout crowd of 52,550 was still settling in when Betts launched his 23rd homer to left-center and Seager followed with his 15th to the lower right-field seats off Vince Velasquez (3-9).
The Dodgers extended the lead to 4-1 on Turner's 26th homer and Pollock's 20th in the fourth.
Their blasts gave the Dodgers a combined nine homers in seven innings over two games. Betts homered to start a comeback in the seventh on Wednesday night, and Max Muncy, Pollock, Cody Bellinger and Seager slugged homers in the eighth to eventually win 11-9.
Seager added a solo shot in the seventh.
Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a two-run, 467-foot shot — his NL-leading 42nd — that cleared the left-field pavilion in the fifth, drawing the Padres to 4-3. Webster Rivas, who walked leading off, scored. Tatis snapped an 0-for-14 skid dating to last Friday.
Ha-Seong Kim homered for the Padres in the second.
The Dodgers tacked on three runs in the sixth for a 7-3 lead. Will Smith and Bellinger had RBI singles and Pollock had a sacrifice fly.
Corey Knebel (4-0) got the win with 1 1/3 innings of relief. He allowed one hit and struck out one.
Velasquez gave up four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
The Padres have lost their last nine games against the Dodgers.
Padres: Placed RHP Yu Darvish on IL with left hip impingement. ... Reinstated RHP Craig Stammen from IL after he had flu-like symptoms.
Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin allowed three runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked two. The noted feline fan wore cleats with different colored faux fur on the tops of each one and a picture of a cat on the side.
Umpire Brian Gorman worked his last game before retiring Thursday night. The 62-year-old umpired in three World Series, two All-Star Games and numerous division and league championship series during his 30-year career in which he called games in both the National and American leagues. His father, Tom, was an NL umpire from 1951-77. Gorman was recognized by the public address announcer before the game.
Padres: They hadn't named a starter for Friday's opener at San Francisco.
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (10-8, 3.38) starts Friday against NL Central champion Milwaukee. He's tossed two complete games against the Brewers, in 2013 and 2014.