SAN DIEGO — The last time the San Diego Padres swept the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park, in September 2010, right-hander Joe Musgrove was just starting his senior year at Grossmont High in suburban El Cajon.
When the Padres got their most recent sweep of LA, at Dodger Stadium in April 2013, Musgrove was still three years away from making his big league debut.
So yeah, it’s a big deal for the hometown kid to be part of a series that had Petco Park rocking for three straight nights.
“I feel like the rivalry is at its best that it’s ever been,” Musgrove said after the Padres hit three solo home runs off reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer and beat the Dodgers 5-3 Wednesday night for their first three-game sweep of the NL West rivals in eight seasons.
“It’s a pretty level playing field between the two teams and I feel like we’re starting to show them that you’re not going to walk all over us this year and that we’re going to fight, we’ve got the pieces to do it, and now it’s about going out and doing it,” said Musgrove, who got a no-decision after pitching six strong innings. “It feels good to be part of that.”
The game ended in front of a sellout crowd of 43,961 when pinch-hitter Albert Pujols lined out to third baseman Manny Machado, who finished off a tremendous series defensively by doubling Will Smith off second. That earned Mark Melancon his major league-leading 23rd save.
San Diego is 7-3 this season against the Dodgers, including winning four straight, and has won two of the three series against the eight-time defending division champions. The Dodgers swept the Padres in the NL Division Series in October en route to winning the World Series.
San Diego has won seven straight games overall, including a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, after losing 13 of their previous 17.
“We’ve got areas to improve at and we are going to be a better team as the season gets going and down the stretch,” manager Jayce Tingler said. “I don’t want to put a ceiling or a cap on what we’re capable of because this is the most talented group I’ve been around. … I do believe our best ball is still ahead of us, that’s for sure.”
Trent Grisham drew a go-ahead, bases-loaded walk in the eighth.
With the score tied at 3, Jake Cronenworth, who homered in the first, started the winning rally with a leadoff double off Blake Treinen (1-3) that went off the glove of leaping right fielder Matt Beaty. Machado, who also homered in the first, singled. Victor Gonzalez came on and allowed Eric Hosmer’s sacrifice bunt. Wil Myers was intentionally walked to load the bases before Gonzalez walked Grisham to bring in Cronenworth. Victor Caratini added a sacrifice fly.
Cronenworth and Machado connected back-to-back with two outs in the first against Bauer, who won the 2020 NL Cy Young Award while with Cincinnati. Caratini gave the Padres a 3-2 lead with a leadoff homer in the seventh.
The Dodgers tied it in the eighth when Max Muncy doubled and scored on Justin Turner’s opposite-field single to right.
Bauer allowed thee runs and five hits in six-plus innings, struck out 10 and walked four.
After allowing the consecutive homers in the first, Bauer settled down and retired nine of the next 10 batters before getting into and out of a jam in the fourth. After Bauer struck out Machado and Eric Hosmer, he walked Myers and allowed a ground-rule double to Grisham. Caratini was intentionally walked to get to Musgrove, who struck out looking.
Musgrove retired nine of the first 10 Dodgers before Los Angeles broke through in the fourth. Muncy hit a leadoff double, Cody Bellinger — activated earlier in the day — walked with one out and Smith hit an RBI single. First baseman Hosmer went for a reverse double play on Beaty’s grounder and forced Smith at second but shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.’s return throw skipped past Musgrove for an error and Bellinger scored.
Musgrove, who threw the Padres’ first no-hitter on April 9, allowed two runs, one earned, and two hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.
“I’m a Padre fan. I grew up in San Diego, so I’ve been living this for a long time and I’ve been watching these series go down and it’s kind of the dream that you get to participate in an action-packed series like this,” Musgrove said.
Tim Hill (4-3) got the win.