Freddie Freeman drives in three as Dodgers blank Padres 7-0

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their series with the San Diego Padres by turning a quiet first inning into a 7-0 shutout at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 22. The Dodgers scored six of their runs with two outs, according to the Associated Press recap, and moved to 15-5 in September. San Diego's five-game winning streak ended at the same time.

Los Angeles broke through in the second inning after Michael King retired the first two batters. Teoscar Hernández walked, then scored when Tommy Edman drew a bases-loaded walk. Mookie Betts followed with another walk to force in Josue De Paula. Freddie Freeman then lined a two-run single to center, bringing the inning to four runs before the Padres could escape.

Freeman added another RBI single in the fourth and finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Edman reached twice, scored twice, drove in two and hit his eighth home run in the sixth. Will Smith supplied the final run with his 10th homer in the seventh. Josue De Paula also had two of Los Angeles' nine hits.

The Dodgers used their bullpen to protect the lead. Wrobleski earned the win after one scoreless inning, and Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Edwin Díaz, Brock Stewart, Jack Dreyer, Blake Treinen and Roki Sasaki combined to keep San Diego scoreless. King took the loss after allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits in four innings. The Padres managed five hits, with Luis Campusano collecting two.

The result fit the shape of the matchup's September race. The AP described the teams as the majors' two best records during the month entering the opener, and the Dodgers extended their run with pressure built from walks, timely singles and two late homers. San Diego never put together a scoring threat after the second inning, leaving Los Angeles with a clean start to the rivalry set and a shutout that required offense from several spots in the lineup.