Dodgers Edge Padres 5-4 in Pitcher’s Duel Turned Thriller at Petco Park
Los Angeles survives a late San Diego charge to take Game 2 of the series
SAN DIEGO — May 19, 2026
In a game that had everything a rivalry matchup should — home runs, late-inning drama, and a gutsy closer finish — the Los Angeles Dodgers escaped Petco Park with a hard-fought 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, evening the three-game series at one game apiece.
Freddie Freeman was the story for Los Angeles, delivering a two-home run performance that proved to be the decisive difference. The veteran first baseman drove in three runs on the night, doing the kind of damage that only elite hitters inflict in a rivalry setting. Shohei Ohtani added two doubles and an RBI, continuing his relentless torment of opposing pitching staffs. Despite going a combined 0-for-8 at the plate, Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker remain constant threats that force opponents into difficult decisions every lineup turn.
For San Diego, Manny Machado and Miguel Andújar answered with power of their own. Each slugger launched a home run, with both driving in two runs as the Padres refused to go quietly. Fernando Tatis Jr. chipped in with a 2-for-5 night and continued to look like the offensive catalyst this lineup needs. The Padres actually held a 4-3 lead heading into the fifth inning, but Freeman’s second blast of the night tied things up, and the Dodgers manufactured an insurance run in the sixth before Will Klein locked the door in the ninth.
The pitching matchup was compelling if not dominant. Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan labored through four innings, surrendering four runs — two each to Machado and Andújar — while allowing five hits and walking one. His night ended with a 9.00 ERA on the evening, forcing the Los Angeles bullpen to go to work early. Tanner Scott, however, was excellent in relief, pitching 1.1 innings without surrendering a hit while collecting two strikeouts. Scott was awarded the win. Klein earned the save with a clean ninth.
On the Padres’ side, Griffin Canning started and gave San Diego five competitive innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out five. Reliever Adrian Morején kept the game manageable with a scoreless sixth, but Mason Miller — normally a lockdown arm — was charged with the loss after a difficult ninth inning sequence, surrendering the run that ultimately cost San Diego the game.
The Padres finished the night 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, a frustrating trend that continues to haunt a lineup that generates contact but struggles to produce in clutch moments. San Diego committed one error — a consequent mistake that contributed to the Dodgers’ ability to stay in the game during critical stretches.
With the series now tied, Game 3 is set for tonight at Petco Park, with first pitch scheduled for 5:40 PM PDT. The Padres will look to reclaim the series lead in front of their home crowd in what is shaping up to be a diligent fight for early-season positioning in the NL West.