San Diego’s Dylan Cease kept the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers under control in his first start after throwing his first career no-hitter. Clayton Kershaw lasted only 3 2/3 innings in his second start of the season, and the Padres won 8-1 on Wednesday night, completing a two-game sweep.
Kershaw, who made his 2024 debut on Thursday after offseason shoulder surgery, had a good game against San Francisco but struggled at Petco Park. The Dodgers also had a rough night, committing three errors and getting only three hits.
All-Star Jurickson Profar had two RBI singles, and Luis Campusano hit a home run and an RBI single for the Padres, who have won nine of their last 11 games since the All-Star break.
The Padres secured the season series against their biggest rivals with a 7-3 record and still have a three-game series left at Dodger Stadium in late September. This win ended the Dodgers’ streak of 13 consecutive season series wins.
“Every game we’re playing now is extremely important,” said Cease, who no-hit the Nationals 3-0 at Washington on Thursday, the second no-hitter in Padres history. “We need to continue to bring this focus and intensity and effort to every game we’re playing. We’re really looking good right now.”
Kershaw (0-1) was removed with two outs in the fourth inning after Xander Bogaerts hit a sacrifice fly. The 17-year veteran gave up seven runs — just three earned — with no strikeouts and one walk.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Kershaw’s streak of 423 regular-season starts with at least one strikeout was the longest since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893.
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and 2014 MVP made one of the Dodgers’ three errors, while second baseman Gavin Lux committed the other two. Kershaw mishandled Bryce Johnson’s bunt in the second inning, resulting in three of the four Padres’ runs that inning being unearned.
Four straight Padres batters reached base with one out, and all of them scored. Campusano and Profar had RBI singles, Luis Arraez had an RBI groundout, and one run scored due to an error by Kershaw.
The Padres added three more runs in the fourth inning. Campusano hit a home run to left field. Johnson singled, Arraez reached base on Lux’s second error, Profar got his second RBI single, and Bogaerts hit a sacrifice fly, which led to Kershaw being pulled from the game.
Cease (11-8) won his fourth consecutive start by allowing only one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three. He received a nice ovation as manager Mike Shildt came to take him out after Cease struck out Teoscar Hernández.
Cease was wearing a “San Diego No-No Club” T-shirt to celebrate his no-hitter and the first one in Padres history by San Diego-area native Joe Musgrove on April 9, 2021, at Texas.
Cease’s chance to become only the second player to throw consecutive no-hitters ended when Jason Heyward singled with one out in the second inning.
“The idea of that is very appealing. It definitely crossed my mind but at the end of the day, difficult to do,” Cease said.
The Dodgers managed to score in the third inning, but a smart play by third baseman Manny Machado limited the damage to just one run.
Nick Ahmed hit a two-out single and Shohei Ohtani walked. Lux doubled into the right field corner, allowing Ahmed to score. Ohtani tried to score from third when he saw the throw from right fielder Johnson go over the cutoff man’s head, but Machado quickly fielded the ball and threw it home to get Ohtani out.
“The ball got away and I went to go grab it and I saw Ohtani go,” Machado said. “Just trying to get that out and save the run and get out of the inning. That could have led to a bigger inning than what it was and we got out of it.”
