Ty France, Walker Buehler, Padres take it to Dodgers in series opener

Kevin Acee, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Jun 27, 2026

Published in Baseball

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SAN DIEGO — Walker Buehler did a better job handling the team he used to play for than Roki Sasaski did pitching against the team he decided not to play for.

Even if Buehler wasn’t given a chance to handle the Los Angeles Dodgers for as long as he might like, the Padres made him a winner on the strength of Ty France’s three-run homer, a four-run eighth inning and their bullpen shutting down the Dodgers over the final 32/3 innings in a 7-1 victory Friday night at Petco Park.

Buehler turned in what has become his standard start for the Padres, pitching into the sixth inning and allowing a run before being pulled 74 pitches into his outing after he issued a one-out walk in the sixth inning.

The Padres grounded down Sasaki, the right-hander from Japan who was considered the prize of the 2024-25 offseason. He had thrown 81 pitches when he was lifted two batters into the fifth inning in his first start against one of the teams he spurned to sign with the Dodgers.

Sasaki departed after Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled and Samad Taylor walked to start the bottom of the fifth.

Left-handed reliever Jack Dreyer came in and avoided further damage, just as Sasaki had been able to do the previous inning after the Padres loaded the bases with two outs.

Jackson Merrill grounded a ball to the right side that got Taylor forced at second base but moved Tatis to third. After Merrill stole second base, the Dodgers intentionally walked Machado.

But Gavin Sheets grounded a ball up the middle that shortstop Mookie Betts fielded before stepping on second and throwing to first to complete an inning-ending double play.

The Dodgers failed after having the same situation in the sixth.

After Andy Pages drew a one-out walk, Padres manager Craig Stammen walked from the dugout to replace Buehler with left-hander Yuki Matsui.

Freddy Freeman followed with a double on a fly ball to the corner that fell just short of the left field wall and just out of the reach of Taylor. The Padres intentionally walked Betts to bring up Max Muncy, who popped out before Kyle Tucker ended the inning on a fly ball to center field.

Jason Adam retired the Dodgers’ bottom three batters in the seventh and Adrian Morejón got through the top three in the eighth before Wandy Peralta closed out the game.

Friday was the fifth consecutive start in which Buehler allowed a single run, and he finished June with a 1.71 ERA in five starts (26⅓ innings).

That run came on the first pitch of the second inning, when Betts drilled a fastball at the top of the zone just beyond Taylor’s outstretched glove and into the left field seats.

Machado and Sheets walked to start the second inning, and France came up with one down and fell behind 0-2 before reaching down to send slider 372 feet to left field for his fourth home run in seven games.’

The Padres forced Sasaki to throw an abundance of pitches, but they did not score off him again.

Machado’s double to the base of the wall in right-center field led to the Padres loading the bases with two outs when Sasaki struck France on the left wrist with a 99 mph fastball and walked Will Wagner before ending the inning with a groundout from Rodolfo Durán.

Their third time loading the bases, they capitalized. And they poured on.

Sheets’ one-out single got the big eighth inning going, and walks by Xander Bogaerts and France loaded the bases.

A single by Sung-Mun Song drove in two runs, a double by Durán and single by Tatis added the final two runs.