Despite Rough Outing from Sasaki, Dodgers Complete Comeback Win Over Padres

The struggles continue for Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki. 

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In his second consecutive start against the San Diego Padres — this time at home as the Dodgers kicked off a 10-game home stand — Sasaki was unable to find his footing. 

Despite giving up six earned runs over three innings against the Padres, the Dodgers mustered 12 runs en route to a 12-7 comeback win in the series opener. 

Sasaki Continues to Struggle Mightily Against Padres

After a stretch of consistent starts from mid-May to early June, Sasaki has found himself on the ropes once again. 

In his last four starts, Sasaki has posted a 10.06 ERA over 17 innings and allowed seven long balls. Those numbers ballooned in his second start against San Diego, with three of the seven hits he gave up being home runs (the rest were doubles). 

The velocity and command were also missing compared to his numbers in May. He averaged a 97.8 mph heater (0.3 mph faster than his season average) and walked his 11th overall batter in his last four starts. 

Jul 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) pitches against the San Diego Padres in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. -- © William Navarro-Imagn ImagesDodgers Offense Explodes for Comeback Win

Los Angeles had the tall task of overcoming a six-run deficit before the bottom of the second. 

That seemed to be no problem. 

Paired with the continued downward spiral of the Padres pitching staff, the Dodgers' offense began their trek towards the comeback win, starting with Dalton Rushing's 10th home run of the season. 

Speaking of the Padres' recent stretch of poor pitching performances, San Diego has allowed 65 runs over their last six games. That marks the worst six-game span in franchise history. 

Jul 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) hits a two run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning at Dodger Stadium. -- © William Navarro-Imagn Images

That home run from the Dodgers catcher began the brigade of 11 unanswered runs through five innings. Kyle Tucker and Dalton Rushing highlighted the bunch, as they both went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate and a combined 8-for-8 with five runs driven in. 

With Tucker going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, he reached base in nine consecutive at-bats dating back to his previous start, in which he walked a career-high four times.

He added an extra walk to his resume in the bottom of the eighth.  

What This Means

With the win, the Dodgers improve to a 57-31 record and extend their lead over the Padres in the National League West by 13 games. 

Shohei Ohtani will act as a two-way player for his start on Friday and the Padres will try to match that by sending out Michael King. 

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