The San Diego Padres defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 on Friday night at Petco Park, snapping the Dodgers' three-game winning streak.
Walker Buehler earned the victory by yielding only one run and three hits while striking out five across 5.1 innings of work.
Ty France provided the major offensive spark for San Diego with a crucial three-run home run in the second inning off Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki.
Sasaki suffered the loss after struggling significantly with his command, issuing a season high-tying five walks and allowing three runs in four innings.
Despite the defeat, the first-place Dodgers maintained a commanding eight-game lead over the second-place Padres in the National League West standings.
Mookie Betts provided the lone highlight for the Dodgers, hitting a solo home run off Buehler in the second inning.
Los Angeles went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners stranded on base throughout the game.
Following his rocky outing, Sasaki expressed frustration with his pitching mechanics.
"I actually felt different than I ever felt before, mechanically," said Sasaki.
The Japanese right-hander noted that his lower body felt slightly uncoordinated during his delivery.
"So I need to go over it and see what was really happening," he said.
Sasaki acknowledged the necessity of adjusting his approach before stepping back onto the mound for his next scheduled appearance.
"I'm not going to have it every time out, so that's something I have to improve," he said.
He emphasized that tactical execution remains a key area of focus moving forward.
"And also the game plan.
I was able to execute some of the pitches, but some of the pitches I couldn't, so that's something I have to go through before next start," he said.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted his astonishment at Sasaki's sudden regression following a highly successful stretch in May.
"I am a little surprised, because there was such good momentum going on," said Roberts.
Roberts expressed optimism that the young pitcher would quickly resolve his mechanical issues.
"Hopefully we can get him back to throwing the way he did in May," he said.
The manager maintained complete faith in the pitcher's mental resilience despite the recent setbacks.
"I know that there's confidence in there," said Roberts.
He elaborated on how minor physical discrepancies can rapidly lead to undesirable outcomes like walks and home runs.
"But when you feel good and you don't feel good mechanically and can't execute pitches, then the results are walks, and 1-2 [count] homers, and things like that.
But I do think that we can kind of tackle the mechanical things that he's probably looking for right now," he said.
Roberts also praised Buehler for adjusting his pitching style successfully against his former club.
"[Buehler] is reinventing himself," said Roberts.
He noted that Buehler utilized a wide repertoire of pitches rather than relying solely on velocity to retire batters.
"He's throwing the kitchen sink at you. Cutter, slider, changeup, two-seamers.
He doesn't just try to bully you, and he's finding ways to just get guys out. So yeah, he's gonna still go up there and compete," he said.
During the eighth-inning rally, the capacity crowd at Petco Park grew highly energetic while supporting the home team.
"Beat L. A.!"
chanted the fans.
San Diego capitalized fully on nine total walks issued by Los Angeles pitchers, blowing the game open with a four-run eighth inning off reliever Jonathan Hernández before closing out the victory.
The series continues Saturday night with Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to face Padres left-hander Kyle Hart and right-hander Randy Vásquez.
