Dustin May hopped off the mound with triumph and relief after a scoreless 15-pitch first inning return to the mound for the Dodgers Sunday afternoon at Camelback Ranch. It was a huge step forward for May in his first game since May 17, 2023.

The lanky Texan looked solid with a 94-95 mph sinker and effective curveball in a 15-pitch first inning. We got to see his signature hop after a swinging strikeout to Oscar Gonzalez following a single and hit-by-pitch.

Giovanny Gallegos took over for May in the second inning. He gave up a pair of doubles to Mike Brosseau and top prospect Ethan Salas to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Those were San Diego’s first runs against the Dodgers since Game 3 of the Division series last season.

The Dodgers took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second against Braden Nett on a Zyhir Hope double and Mookie Betts sac fly.

Hyeseong Kim collected his first base hit of the spring as a Dodger, an infield single he beat out at first.

Kim also drew a walk in the bottom of the sixth after he replaced Mookie at shortstop. Spring Training is the perfect time to give guys time in different positions and test their versatility. This explained Dave Roberts’ defensive switch for Kim from shortstop to center field for the top of the seventh. Kim never played center field in Korea.

The Friars tied the game at three apiece in the seventh, cashing in the throwing error by pitcher Justin Jarvis.

The Dodgers took back the lead in the bottom of the eighth thanks to Justin Dean’s speed and David Bote’s RBI single. It was the first run for the Dodgers since Mookie’s sac fly in the second inning.

Kody Hoese gave the Dodgers plenty of insurance with a bases-clearing two-out double off Padres reliever Cole Paplham. Griffin Lockwood-Powell kept the scoring going with a RBI double to right field to make it 8-3.

There was another scary moment on the mound when Paplham was hit in the side of the head with a ball 102-mph off Aaron Brach’s bat and had to be carted off the field.

Another highlight of the 8-3 win for the Dodgers was the improved pace and command by their pitching staff. Dodgers pitchers only allowed a combined four walks through nine frames. This was obviously a marked improvement over the dozen free passes handed out in Saturday’s 11-10 loss to Kansas City.

Up next

The Dodgers travel over to Goodyear Ballpark on Monday to face old friend Gavin Lux and the Reds (SportsNet LA, 12:05 p.m. PT). Tyler Glasnow makes his first spring appearance for the Dodgers, and fellow right-hander Carson Spiers toes the rubber for Cincinnati.