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The Dodgers’ Will Smith hits a walk-off home run during the ninth inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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LOS ANGELES — Inserted into the fire immediately, Emmet Sheehan proved to be the calming influence the Dodgers were expecting.

He just needed a little help in the form of five innings of relief from Justin Wrobleski and Will Smith’s pinch-hit, walk-off home run in the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

Smith, who was given the night off from behind the plate, still managed to make it a full day’s work with one swing while pinch hitting for Kiké Hernandez. Smith’s eighth homer of the season gave the Dodgers their 25th comeback win of the season.

With just two pitchers used on the night, the pitching path forward became a bit more clear with the Dodgers set to go with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Thursday, Clayton Kershaw on Friday against the Washington Nationals and then Dustin May on Saturday, followed by another short outing for Shohei Ohtani on Sunday.

After a somewhat inconsistent offense early in the season and injuries that put the pitching plan in disarray, the Dodgers appear to be turning a corner while on a five-game winning streak.

“This was sort of the gauntlet,” Roberts said about a 10-game run against the San Francisco Giants and Padres that ends Thursday. “We talked about it a couple weeks ago. And our guys rose to the occasion. And we’re playing much better baseball. Finding ways to win, and against division foes. So yeah, happy but we got one more, and I want to put these guys away.”

Sheehan was dropped into the third game of an already tense series and gave up one run over four innings in his return from Tommy John surgery. His healing properties started the Dodgers toward another long night for the Padres.

There to back him up was Wrobleski (2-2), who pitched four scoreless innings before the Padres tied it in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Jake Cronenworth and an RBI double from Xander Bogaerts.

The Dodgers have now won five of six games against the Padres in a stretch where the National League rivals are facing each other seven times in 11 days. On Thursday, they have a chance at a rare four-game sweep.

Where Yamamoto has done his best to hold things together for an injury-plagued rotation, he has witnessed in recent weeks the returns of Clayton Kershaw (knee/toe), Shohei Ohtani (elbow) and now Sheehan, who managed to show plenty of upside in 13 appearances during his 2023 rookie season.

Visibly stronger now and with a greater appreciation for major league life, Manager Dave Roberts also saw some resolve from the right-hander as he approached his 2025 debut.

“You look back a couple years, he’s much more physical,” Roberts said before the outing. “He’s had a chance to watch a lot of baseball, learn and then now apply it. I think that’s going to make him a better major league pitcher. This is his first one, so I think just having the expectation to attack these guys, fill up the strike zone with his pitch mix, that’s the ask. And the results – we’re all prepared to live with whatever happens.”

It was all so prophetic after Sheehan gave up three hits with no walks and six strikeouts in his first time on the Dodger Stadium mound since facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 playoffs.

“It means a lot,” Sheehan said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of stuff you can’t account for when you’re coming back from an injury. You can do everything right and still have setbacks. I’m just really thankful that it didn’t go that way and it’s been all smooth so far.”

Held to just two hits over four scoreless innings at the outset, the Dodgers’ offense erupted for three runs in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly from Pages and a two-run single from rookie Dalton Rushing.

Pages was again caught in the crossfire in the seventh inning when he was hit by pitch from Stephen Kolek. Pages had taken umbrage with getting hit in Monday’s series opener then had four hits with two home runs in Tuesday’s game, when Shohei Ohtani was hit by a pitch after the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. was plunked.

Roberts was ejected from Tuesday’s game amid the uproar of it all.

While Pages took his time getting to first base after he was hit Wednesday, there was no incident, even when Pages crossed paths with Kolek after the Padres’ pitcher was removed from the game. Roberts said he didn’t see any intent with the pitch.

The Dodgers eventually loaded the bases in the seventh with two outs but failed to score when Wandy Peralta struck out Ohtani to end the inning.

The Padres loaded the bases in the ninth inning against Wrobleski when Luis Arraez singled, Manny Machado reached base on a Max Muncy throwing error and Gavin Sheets singled. Cronenworth’s fly ball made it 3-2 and Bogaerts tied it with one out.

Freddie Freeman cut down Brandon Lockridge at home plate after he tried to score on a sharp ground ball to first base. Wrobleski preserved the tie by getting Diaz to ground into a fielder’s choice, with Muncy able to make an accurate throw to second base to force out Jose Iglesias.

Smith’s game-winning homer, which barely cleared the wall behind a leaping Tatis in right, came after he just missed hitting one out down the left field line.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been a long few weeks, playing some really good ball clubs, dealing with injuries and everything,” Smith said. “But yeah, we’re just sticking together as a team, grinding through it one day at a time. Kind of flood the strike zone as pitchers and take good at-bats as hitters. So try to play good baseball and see what happens.”


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