LOS ANGELES — Somewhere over a rainbow beyond right field in the first inning on Monday night, the weather appeared to taunt the Dodgers again.
Was it ever?
Washington was experiencing three days of heavy rains and many hours of delays. That wasn’t a truce. It was a showdown of offensive prowess as the Dodgers blew five-runs lead, before Juan Soto homered three times in the ninth and then sent his bat flying toward the sky.
The Padres won 11-8 on the strength 14 hits, and the NL West’s leading Dodgers suffered their seventh defeat in 11 games.
Mookie Betts’ leadoff homer and a triple-run double were not enough to prevent the loss. Max Muncy homered into the right field bleachers. Gavin Stone, who was supposed to replace Clayton Kershaw in the rotation, struggled and former Dodger Manny Machado blasted two home runs for Padres.
The night was dry. The rain came as runs.
The Padres’ ninth-inning rally came gift-wrapped by the Dodgers when center fielder James Outman and left fielder Chris Taylor bumped while trying to make a catch on the warning track. Trent Grisham wound up at second base. Fernando Taits Jr. smashed a comebacker but Evan Phillips (1-4 )…
