Mookie Betts, Max Muncy come alive as Dodgers beat Padres

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  • Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, right, celebrates with third baseman Max Muncy after the Dodgers defeated the Padres, 6-1, on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Padres starting pitcher Nick Martinez throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hits a single during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman celebrates with first base coach Clayton McCullough after hitting a single during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, right, jokes with Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth after stealing second base during the first inning on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • Padres starting pitcher Nick Martinez throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Dodgers’ Max Muncy is forced out at second base on a fielders’ choice hit by Justin Turner as Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth makes the play during the first inning on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor dives back to first base during the second inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor hits a single during the second inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Padres’ Trent Grisham, left, congratluates Jurickson Profar after he scored on a fielders’ choice during the second inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias reacts after allowing a run on a fielder’s choice by the Padres’ Wil Myers during the second inning on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Padres’ Ha-Seong Kim walks to first base after drawing a walk during the second inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Padres’ Trent Grisham, right, and home plate umpire Ron Kulpa exchange words after Grisham struck out during the second inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is unable to make the tag in time as the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts steals second base during the third inning on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • San Diego Padres starting pitcher Nick Martinez reacts after the Dodgers’ Justin Turner grounded into a double play to end the top of the third inning on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Dodgers and Padres play during the third inning on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Padres’ Manny Machado hits a single during the third inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Padres’ Manny Machado connects for a single during the third inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Padres’ Manny Machado, right, embraces Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman as he stands on first base after hitting a single during the third inning on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Padres’ Jake Cronenworth walks to the dugout after striking out during the third inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Padres’ Luke Voit shows his frustration after striking out during the third inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts connects for a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts circles the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, right, is greeted by third base coach Dino Ebel after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. Betts added a second home run in the ninth. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman congratulates Mookie Betts after his solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts is greeted by teammate Freddie Freeman after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Dodgers’ Trea Turner sits on the ground after falling on a swing during his at-bat in the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • Padres starting pitcher Nick Martinez reacts after the Dodgers’ Trea Turner grounded out during the fifth inning on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Padres right fielder Wil Myers can’t reach a home run hit by the Dodgers’ Max Muncy Fans reach for a home run hit by the Dodgers’ Max Muncy during the fifth inning on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • Fans reach for a home run hit by the Dodgers’ Max Muncy as San Diego Padres right fielder Wil Myers can’t make the catch during the fifth inning on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Dodgers’ Max Muncy, right, is congratulated by third base coach Dino Ebel as he circles the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Max Muncy gestures after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Padres manager Bob Melvin takes Nick Martinez out of the game as first baseman Eric Hosmer looks on during the fifth inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Padres’ Ha-Seong Kim slides back to first base during the fifth inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Padres’ Manny Machado reacts after striking out during the fifth inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Padres’ Manny Machado reacts after striking out during the fifth inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Padres’ Luke Voit hits a grounder during the sixth inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • Padres relief pitcher Tim Hill throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is unable to throw out the Dodgers’ Trea Turner on an infiled single during the seventh inning on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Max Muncy connects for a two-run single during the seventh inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, left, congratulates Freddie Freeman after they both scored on a single by Max Muncy during the seventh inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman head to the dugout after scoring on a single by Max Muncy during the seventh inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts hits a home run during the ninth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. It was his second home run of the game. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts watches the flight of his home run during the ninth inning of their 6-1 victory over the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. Betts hit his first home run of the season earlier in the game. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts watches the flight of the ball after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. It was his second homer of the game. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Padres relief pitcher Craig Stammen looks on after allowing a solo home run to the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts during the ninth inning on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts celebrates with third base coach Dino Ebel after hitting a home run during the ninth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. It was his second home run of the game. (AP Photo/Mike McGinnis)

  • Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, and teammate Max Muncy, right, congratulate Mookie Betts as he returns to the dugout after his solo home run during the ninth inning of their game against the Padres on Friday night in San Diego. It was his second homer of the game. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Dodgers outfielders Chris Taylor, left, Cody Bellinger, center, and Mookie Betts celebrate after they defeated the Padres, 6-1, on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, left, congratulates outfielder Mookie Betts after he hit two home runs as the Dodgers defeated the Padres, 6-1, on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

  • Dodgers manager Dave Roberts celebrates with outfielder Mookie Betts after they defeated the Padres, 6-1, on Friday night in San Diego. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

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SAN DIEGO — Video boards in major-league stadiums these days have grown nearly big enough to be seen from space. That makes it really difficult to ignore the information contained on them.

Mookie Betts and Max Muncy had reason to try. They came into Friday’s game with .178 and .128 batting averages, respectively, unsightly blemishes as the Dodgers’ lineup was displayed on the scoreboard at Petco Park.

But Betts hit his first two home runs of the season and Muncy drove in three runs as the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 6-1, Friday night in the opener of a three-game series. The two combined to reach base eight times, score four of the Dodgers’ runs and drive in five.

“I like when the scoreboards do the OPS instead of batting averages. That looks much nicer,” Muncy said. “It doesn’t hurt as bad because I still get on base. Yeah, when you see the OPS it’s a little bit nicer.”

As far as Betts is concerned, the numbers weren’t lying. He was honest about his dissatisfaction with his slow start and the seemingly fruitless search for an adjustment that would turn it around.

“It’s just me,” he said, dismissing questions about the hip problem that limited him in 2021. “I can’t blame it on the hip, I can’t blame it on anything else. It’s all me. You have to take ownership for sucking. It is what it is though. I’m working. My teammates have been amazing in keeping us winning and I just want to do my part to help us win.”

The first two weeks of the season have been “a grind,” Betts said, as he searched for answers.

“Just everything, man,” he said when asked if he had focused his work on anything in particular. “It’s kind of tough to focus on one thing when a lot of things are kind of going wrong.

“You have to be mentally tough and, you know, I wasn’t. I was not mentally tough and my teammates stayed on me. … You just kinda let it get to you and then it just compounds. I take full ownership of letting it compound.”

Betts took full ownership of a 2-and-1 cutter from Padres starter Nick Martinez leading off the fifth inning, sending it 420 feet into the upper deck in left field. He had dragged his .178 average down I-5 to San Diego and had just one hit in his past 18 at-bats before the fifth inning. Statcast hadn’t even credited him with hitting a ball on the barrel of his bat before his first home run of the season.

“He’s been losing sleep,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Betts’ struggles. “When you’re a guy like that, you have high standards and expectations and you’re not meeting them, you get frustrated.”

Muncy was off to his own slow start with just one hit in his previous 15 at-bats before Friday. He drew two of the Dodgers’ five walks in the first four innings then turned on a 1-and-1 fastball from Martinez in the fifth, launching it high toward the right field seats – a 41-degree launch angle seems extreme. The towering fly ball just cleared the wall (and Wil Myers’ glove).

“I actually feel I’ve been having a lot of really good at-bats. Just a lot of bad luck, unfortunately,” Muncy said. “As long as you can stay strong mentally and not get completely outside yourself and start changing everything then hopefully you will eventually come out of it. Hopefully, this is a start.”

Betts and Muncy combined for four of the seven walks the Dodgers drew in the game. But it wasn’t until the seventh inning that they finally turned one of those into a run.

Betts drew his second walk of the game to start the inning. Singles by Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner loaded the bases with no outs.

With the infield playing in, Muncy slapped a single through the middle to drive in two runs. A sacrifice fly by Justin Turner made it a three-run inning – the 10th time in the first 13 games this season the Dodgers have scored three or more runs in an inning.

Betts went deep again leading off the ninth inning against Padres reliever Craig Stammen, a more modest 370-foot drive this time. It was the 20th multi-homer game of Betts’ career.

“We know what kind of player he is – he’s Mookie Betts,” Dodgers starter Julio Urias said through an interpreter. “We expect that every day. We know he’s kind of been going through it but we expect him to do those things and it’s nice when he does it.”

Urias did his part, allowing just one run in five innings – and the Padres barely got that.

A walk of Jurickson Profar and a single by Eric Hosmer put runners on the corners with one out. Urias got Myers to hit a ground ball to Trea Turner but the shortstop’s underhand feed to Gavin Lux at second base was very high. Lux had to reach high to pull it in and get the force at second. By the time he turned and threw to first base, Myers was able to beat the throw, allowing Profar to score from third.

Urias became very stingy after that. He struck out Trent Grisham to end that inning with two runners on. That started a stretch in which Urias retired 10 of the last 12 batters he faced, allowing only a single by Manny Machado in the third and a leadoff walk to Ha-Seong Kim in the fifth and striking out five of his season-high seven.

CRUSHED BY MOOKIE. ? #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/oqL45X7Ndh

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 23, 2022

Max for the lead! pic.twitter.com/MuHTZKc24V

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 23, 2022

Clutch up, @maxmuncy9! #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/wYjOGBUCUR

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 23, 2022

Mookie getting right in SD. Love to see it. pic.twitter.com/xjOUEZt0XT

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 23, 2022

“As long as you’re focused on the process, eventually good things will start happening.” Max Muncy (2-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB) talks post-game with @kirsten_watson. pic.twitter.com/4bRTJ98vlO

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 23, 2022

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