SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nestor Cortes took a perfect game into the sixth inning and combined with three relievers on a two-hitter as the San Diego Padres reclaimed the NL West lead with a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

The San Diego Padres are in the middle of a key race for the National League West against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Nestor Cortes threw 6.0 shutout innings to lead the Padres to a 5-1 win over the Dodgers, putting them alone in 1st place in the National League West.

Padres fourth. Manny Machado walks. Ryan O'Hearn singles to left field. Manny Machado to second. Xander Bogaerts walks. Ryan O'Hearn to second. Manny Machado to third. Gavin Sheets lines out

While the one hit Yu Darvish allowed was a home run, and he also hit a batter and walked one, a one-out single by Miguel Rojas in the sixth inning gave the Dodgers their only baserunner against Cortes. It was the first time in 92 career starts that Cortes made it through five perfect innings.

Runs by Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fourth inning stood up, as Darvish went a strong six innings.

Expert recap and game analysis of the San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers MLB game from August 22, 2025 on ESPN.