Magic Johnson is a big part of the Los Angeles professional teams. With the bullpen going down a rough patch, he has highlighted someone that has been a bright spot.

Mookie Betts hits a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Sunday.

LOS ANGELES — It was touted as the biggest series of the month. It was billed as a potential passing of the torch, with the San Diego Padres threatening to win the National League West for the first time in 19 years. Instead, Sunday’s finale ended in a three-game sweep — and a relatively convincing one, at that.

Los Angeles is now two games up in the standings, with a 71-53 record. The Dodgers are on the road for a four game series at Colorado, before these two teams meet up again next weekend, this time in San Diego. The Padres are now 69-55, and will start a four game series against the Giants on Monday.

Then Betts rescued the Dodgers with the 394-foot shot to left-center off Robert Suarez. It was the shortstop’s 13th homer of the season and just his fifth since June. Betts had 25 in 2022 and 39 in 2023.

Mookie Betts hits a home run in the bottom of the eighth to lift the Dodgers past the Padres and into a two-game lead in the NL West.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is on the verge of a career-long home run drought; Ramón Laureano’s hot start with Padres continues

In one of their worst performances of the season, the Padres beat themselves in a shutout to the Dodgers, which reclaimed first place.