{"id":149672,"date":"2025-08-16T05:05:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T05:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/149672\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T05:05:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T05:05:16","slug":"clayton-kershaw-shines-as-dodgers-beat-padres-to-retake-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/149672\/","title":{"rendered":"Clayton Kershaw shines as Dodgers beat Padres to retake first"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On a night the Dodgers<\/a> had a stadium-wide giveaway promotion for the anime show Demon Slayer<\/a>, the club slayed a few recently troublesome demons of its own.<\/p>\n

In the opening game of this season\u2019s biggest series to date, they finally found a way not to trip over themselves.<\/p>\n

By beating the San Diego Padres 3-2<\/a> at Dodger Stadium, the club moved back into a tie with the Padres for first place in the National League West.<\/p>\n

They got six strong innings from Clayton Kershaw<\/a>; plus, in a refreshing change of pace, plenty of crisp, clean defense behind him.<\/p>\n

And though a lineup that lost Max Muncy to the injured list<\/a> with an oblique strain before the game was largely contained by the Padres (who had to go with a bullpen game after scheduled starter Michael King<\/a> was shelved with a shoulder injury), the Dodgers still managed to snap their four-game losing streak thanks to their biggest weakness of late.<\/p>\n

For the first time in what felt like several weeks, a scuffling bullpen finally didn\u2019t cough up a late, narrow lead.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers (69-53) came into this weekend\u2019s rivalry series reeling in a way that once seemed impossible for this year\u2019s $400-million team.<\/p>\n

Since July 4, they were just 12-21. What had been a nine-game division lead then was transformed into a one-game deficit to the Padres, who came to Los Angeles riding high thanks to a monster trade deadline and a recent 14-3 streak.<\/p>\n