Padres just depressingly ignited slumping Dodgers top prospect's career

The San Diego Padres were looking for revenge. Just one week ago, the Friars were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving fans wondering if this team was realistically capable of competing for a divisional championship in the NL West.

In an attempt to redeem themselves, and to keep the recent momentum flowing, San Diego hosted LA this past weekend in a quick rematch - which was on the heels of sweeping the San Francisco Giants. San Diego was on track of righting their wrongs, as they entered Sunday's matchup seeking a sweep to even the playing field. But of course, the Dodgers had one unlikely hero keeping San Diego from pulling off a third-straight win in the series.

Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, a streaking prospect batting ninth in the lineup for Los Angeles, wiped the smiles off Padres fans in the seventh inning with a go-ahead three-run home run to spark an 8-2 Dodgers victory. His home run kept the NL West standings tied at 74-57 between the Padres and Dodgers, which once again leaves the Padres feeling a bit unsatisfied headed into another week.

Padres look strong in weekend series vs. Dodgers, but Dalton Rushing keeps Friars from sweeping

Rushing, 24, entered the at-bat 0-for-his-last-11, and 3-for-25 in August. Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada had two runners aboard with one out in the seventh inning, and was looking to mow down the struggling Rushing on a 3-2 slider, which has not been his best pitch this year. That slider caught too much plate, and Rushing swatted his biggest home run of the season.

Dating back to June 2, Rushing's seismic slam was just the second time that he has gone deep. It came at a perfect time for Los Angeles, as they were able to salvage a win and keep pace in the divisional standings.

From San Diego's perspective, things could have gone much worse this past weekend. They entered this series with a 2-8 record against the Dodgers this year, so showing any sort of prowess this weekend was a big deal. They nailed the win in the first two games, and although they did not capture the sweep, going 2-1 against a team that doesn't take them seriously is a major victory. It just so happens that the Dodgers' worst hitter is the one who kept them from getting the sweep, so it makes sense for Padres fans to somewhat happy, and somewhat baffled by this series.