The Dodgers used good pitching and some late-inning luck to sweep the series 3 games to 0.
Oct 1 – Kevin Brown vs Don Sutton
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Dave Lopes reached on an error and scored on Steve Garvey’s double. In the 4th Ron Cey led off with a single, moved to 2nd on a wild pitch, then scored on Steve Yeager’s single, 2-0 Dodgers. LA bumped the lead to 3-0 in the 5th when Cey singled in Dusty Baker, who had doubled with 2 outs. Finally the Padres answered in the 6th when the dangerous Greg Vaughn homered to make it a 3-1 game. Two innnings later Tony Gwynn duplicated Vaughn’s feat with a 2-out HR to make it a 3-2 game. That blast chased Sutton, and when Elias Sosa walked the next batter, Charlie Hough came on to get the final out of the inning. Bottom of the 8th and Steve Garvey led off with a single. Brown departed, Donnie Wall replaced him. A single by Dusty Baker, and a walk to Ron Cey loaded the bases for Rick Monday with nobody out. Scott Sanders took over for San Diego, and Monday delivered the back-breaker, a 2-run single to reclaim a 3-run margin at 5-2. In the 9th Hough surrendered a hit, but no runs. The final was 5-2 Los Angeles.
SD 2 6 2
LA 5 12 1
W – Sutton
L – Brown
S – Hough
HR – Vaughn, Gwynn
Oct 2 – Andy Ashby vs. Tommy John
This time it was the Padres who took the first inning lead when
Tony Gwynn quickly turned on a Tommy John fastball for a leadoff HR and a 1-0 lead. From there, John retired 8 in a row, and allowed just 3 more hits through 5 innings. Meanwhile the Dodgers had no answer for Ashby, who allowed a pair of harmless singles and two walks through 5. Top of the 6th the Padres added another run on Greg Vaughn’s solo HR, and like Gwynn his 2nd of the series, to extend the Friar’s lead to 2-0. Ashby ran into some trouble with 2 outs in the 6th when Reggie Smith walked and Steve Garvey singled...but he got Dusty Baker to line out to keep the score at 2-0. Bottom of the 7th, more issues for Ashby, and perhaps the help came too late. Ron Cey led off with a single. Ashby got the next two batters, then gave up a PH single to Manny Mota, putting runners on the corners. Dave Lopes followed with a single to make it 2-1. Up next was Bill Russell, with Ashby still on the mound. Russell doubled down the left field line, scoring both Mota and Lopes and giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Dan Micelli came in to get Reggie Smith, but was it too late? Top of the 8th, Charlie Hough got the first two batters, then allowed a single to Ken Caminitti. He walked Greg Vaughn, bringing Wally Joyner to the plate. Joyner launched one to deep right, but it died right in front of the wall for the final out, still 3-2 Dodgers. Top of the 9th, Hough trying to close it out. He walked the first two batters, Carlos Hernandez and Steve Finley. Mike Garman entered, and Chris Gomez’ bunt attempt resulted in a force out at 
2nd. Now with men on the corners, the tie run at 3rd, 1 out, PH Andy Sheets came to the plate. LA played the infield back, and the Padres attempted a squeeze bunt! Sheets missed the ball and Hernandez was tagged out at the plate! Like Houdini in a locked chest, Mike Garman got Sheets to fly out to end the game. The final was 3-2.
SD 2 7 0
LA 3 7 0
W – John
L – Ashby
S – Garman
HR – Gwynn (2), Vaughn (2)
Oct 4 – Burt Hooton vs. Sterling Hitchcock
Los Angeles scored the game’s first run when Dusty Baker
homered in the 2nd. The game stayed at 1-0 until the 6th when a single by Burt Hooton and Reggie Smith’s first hit of the series, a 2-run HR, extended the Dodger lead to 3-0. With desperation creeping in, San Diego put together a 2-out threat in the bottom of the 6th. Tony Gwynn singled, Greg Vaughn walked. Ken Camitti send a ball to deep right, but Smith was there to end the inning and maintain a 3-0 score. Hooton pitched a perfect 7th and 8th and the game went to the 9th. Gwynn and Vaughn were retired, but Caminiti singled. Charlie Hough replaced Hooton to face PH Wally Joyner, who walked. Chris Gomez followed, and he walked to load the bases! With 2 outs, Hough stared in a Steve Finley. Finley lined one to first and Garvey grabbed it for the final out. Dodgers win 3-0.
LA 3 6 0
SD 0 6 0
W – Hooton
L – Hitchcock
S – Hough
HR – Baker, Smith
--submitted by Jesse Elicker--