Padres drop 7th straight, fall under .500 despite King's strong effort

The San Diego Padres lost 4-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, extending their losing streak to seven straight games and dropping them below .500 for the first time since April 7. Starter Michael King delivered a strong performance and Jackson Merrill hit a home run, but a critical error by second baseman Jake Cronenworth in the seventh inning allowed Teoscar Hernández to hit a go-ahead grand slam. The Padres held a 3-0 lead before the error proved decisive, with Cronenworth acknowledging the mistake cost his team the game.