Just when you thought you’d heard every possible word or phrase to describe what the Dodgers offense has been doing of late, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, as he so often does, came up with a new one following his team’s 8-3 pounding of the San Diego Padres in front of a sold-out Dodger Stadium crowd of 52,550 on Thursday night to sweep the three-game series.

“Tonight was a clinic,” the Dodgers skipper said. “Being aggressive to our zone, looking to slug it when an opportunity to beat the shift, like when Justin (Turner) starting an inning and Will Smith with a two-strike base hit the other way, the first-to-third from Will, Justin taking second base on a throw, there was a sac fly in there from AJ (Pollock). So, we kind of checked all the boxes – fundamentally sound defensively. A really fun baseball game to watch.”

…unless you’re a Padres fan, of course.

Roberts’ team finished the night with those eight runs on 11 hits, with two walks and eight strikeouts, while leaving eight runners on base. Five of those hits were home runs: one from Mookie Betts to leadoff the game for the Dodgers, one from Justin Turner (the 150th of his 13-year MLB career), one from Pollock, and two from Corey Seager, who has now homered in three of his last four games, including two two-home-run games.

“He’s been unconscious right now,” Roberts said of his MVP-deserving shortstop.

“I just pretty much have one job and that’s just to get on base and let him hit me in,” Betts said of Seager postgame.

A clinic indeed.

Play Ball!

  *  *  *  *  *  *