Padres Reclaim NL West Lead With 5-1 Win Over Dodgers

The San Diego Padres have surged ahead in the National League West, reclaiming the division lead from the Los Angeles Dodgers after a dominant 5-1 win at Petco Park. Nestor Cortes delivered a redemption performance by pitching six scoreless innings and retiring the first 16 batters, helping the Padres win their fifth straight game after being swept in Los Angeles the previous weekend. The Padres' offense was fueled by key contributions from Ramón Laureano and Xander Bogaerts, while Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow struggled, allowing multiple runs and walks. This victory followed a 2-1 Padres win on Friday, where veteran Yu Darvish outdueled Blake Snell in a pitchers' duel, highlighting the Padres' strong bullpen and timely hitting. The Dodgers have now lost four of their last six games, with their offense sputtering against the Padres' pitching, and face a tough matchup Sunday with Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Nick Pivetta. With only two games remaining between the rivals this season, the NL West race is intensifying as the Padres and Dodgers are separated by just one game in the standings.