The Padres defeated the Dodgers 11-6 on June 18, 2025, as Emmet Sheehan and the pitching staff struggled against Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a tough pill to swallow Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. Hopes were high for a bounce-back performance, but the San Diego Padres had other plans, unleashing an offensive onslaught to defeat the Dodgers 11-6. The loss not only marks the team's second consecutive defeat but also deepens the hole in the NL West standings.
The Dodgers entered the game as -180 favorites, only to see their pitching staff surrender 11 runs to their division rivals.
Starter Emmet Sheehan was thrown into the fire against a red-hot Padres lineup, and the results were brutal. Facing the likes of Manny Machado and the scorching Fernando Tatis Jr., the Dodgers' pitching staff simply had no answers. The Padres relentlessly tacked on runs throughout the evening, making it an uphill battle from the early innings. This wasn't just on Sheehan; the entire staff struggled to contain the damage, leading to the lopsided final score and raising questions about the rotation's stability in this key stretch.
While the pitching was a clear issue, the offense didn't go down without a fight, putting up six runs of their own. Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez provided some pop, reminding fans of the lineup's depth. Mookie Betts also continued his solid campaign, maintaining his impressive .383 on-base percentage. On most nights, six runs would be enough to secure a victory, but it was simply not enough to overcome the massive deficit created by the pitching staff's struggles.
This loss stings more because of who it came against. Now sitting at 44-29, the Dodgers find themselves in third place, a full 2.5 games behind the division-leading Padres. With two games left in this crucial four-game set, the pressure is mounting. What could have been an opportunity to gain ground has quickly turned into a fight to avoid losing more ground at home. Every divisional game matters, and dropping the first two in this series puts the Dodgers in a precarious position.
The beauty of baseball is that there's always tomorrow. The Dodgers will have a chance to salvage this series and stop the bleeding in the next two games. They'll need a strong performance from their next starter and for the bats to stay hot to climb back in this series and the division race. Thursday's game is no longer just another game; it's a must-win to shift the momentum back in LA's favor.
