The Los Angeles Dodgers trounced Clayton Richard early and cruised to a 10-0 victory over the San Diego Padres to complete a three-game sweep in their final home game of the regular season. The Dodgers lowered their magic number for homefield in the World Series to one.
Los Angeles scored in each of the first three innings, capped off by a four-run third. Justin Turner’s long single off the wall in right-center loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning, and Cody Bellinger’s sacrifice drove in the first run of the night.
Kiké Hernandez hit into a force out to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead before Richard could get through the opening frame. With Austin Barnes at third base following a leadoff double and groundout, Rich Hill helped his cause with an RBI single in the second inning.
The RBI was Hill’s fourth this season and second in as many starts. Richard’s trouble carried into the third inning, as he allowed an RBI single to Logan Forsythe, two-run double to Barnes, and a run-scoring base hit to Yasiel Puig.
Barnes later hit a single to finish with a career-high three hits. Puig added a home run off Richard in the fifth inning, and Curtis Granderson and Corey Seager connected on back-to-back homers off Kirby Yates in the sixth.
Granderson entered as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the first inning, replacing Chris Taylor, who suffered a left knee contusion after slipping on first base. Taylor was said to be day to day, and his injury was the only sour note for the Dodgers.
Hill limited the Padres to just four baserunners (two hits, two walks) and struck out 10 over seven shutout innings. The start was Hill’s third this season in which he reached double-digit strikeouts.
Brandon McCarthy worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth, and Kenley Jansen finished out the game. Although circumstances did not dictate he pitch, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said pregame he intended to get Jansen work in order to keep him sharp.
The 102nd win of the season tied a Los Angeles franchise record, shared by the 1962 and 1974 clubs.
