Only Sonny Gray had held the Los Angeles Dodgers to one hit across at least six innings all season, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. That is, until Padres’ pitchers Yu Darvish and Nestor Cortes did it on back-to-back nights.

The Padres' Nestor Cortes, who gave up the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history last October, faced his Dodgers demons and tossed six brilliant innings in a 5-1 win.

The Dodgers probably didn't see this coming from the Padres' pitcher, but it happened in such a way that they had no chance to bounce back.

The sellout crowd at Petco Park saw more than just a strong pitching performance. The victory pushed San Diego into the top spot in the NL West, a sign that their aggressive trade deadline moves are already paying off. Cortes was acquired from Milwaukee on July 31, giving the Padres another dependable arm in a rotation that needed stability.

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.

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 Dodgers on Saturday night.