Mookie Betts provides the spark for the Dodgers' stunning victory over the Padres

This time, Mookie Betts didn't make a sharp left turn between first and second base and began jogging toward the third base dugout at Petco Park.

One night, after the Dodgers right fielder thought he had been deprived of another home run by San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, Betts took a more traditional route around the bases in the first inning Wednesday night.

Because there was little doubt that his 401-foot shot from Padres starter Dylan Cease would break through the center field fence, the home run set the tone for an 8-0 victory in Game 4 of the National League Division Series over the Padres, the the best-of tied five series at two games each and set up a winner-take-all Game 5 at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.

“When you get on the road, you can't just hit a home run or a false number in the first inning – hitting is still hard,” Roberts said. “But striking first, stopping early and getting to their bullpen, that obviously gave us momentum. And that’s where it started with Mookie.”

That wasn't the end of it for Betts, who followed up Shohei Ohtani's two-out RBI single to start the second by hitting reliever Bryan Hoeing's first pitch into right field for a clutch RBI single score and give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.

It was the second straight game in which Betts hit a home run and a single in his first two at-bats, although his double resulted in a 6-5 loss in Game 3 on Tuesday night. Will Smith also hit a game-winning two-run home run in the third inning and Gavin Lux hit a two-run tackle in the seventh inning.

“Mookie was big,” Roberts said. “Of course we have a lot of good players, but it's clearly not down to one player and today Mookie shone. (Tuesday) night Mookie shined. And Will had great success.

“That’s the great thing about having good players. You don't have to do more than you can. They simply have to do what their abilities allow. And that’s exactly what they did tonight.”

Mookie Betts follows up his solo home run in the first inning on Wednesday against the Padres.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

That was the gist of Roberts' message to Betts during practice Monday after Betts went hitless in four at-bats in Sunday's 10-2 loss in Game 2, extending a playoff loss in which he hit .068 (hitting three for 44) in 12 games since Game 4 of the 2021 NL Championship Series, including 0 for 11 in last season's NLDS loss to Arizona.

There was so much noise in Betts' head and he felt so much negative energy from Dodgers fans and the media that he decided to cut himself off from the outside world.

“I had to turn off all social media because it was all negative,” Betts said. “I had to create a positive mood within myself, and my team did it.”

Roberts stressed to Betts on Monday that he doesn't have to be a playoff superhero, that being Mookie is enough.

“When you look at (great) postseason performers, it's not that they exceeded their regular-season career stats – what they did (in the playoffs) is what they did in the regular season.” Roberts said Monday.

“But on this stage, they are considered (great) postseason players. So in this case, we just expect Mookie to be the same player as he was in the regular season. And that’s it.”

Those words were apparently lost in the estimated 300-400 at-bats Betts took in the batting cage on Monday.

“I don’t even remember the message from Doc on Monday, to be honest, it feels like it was so long ago,” Betts said. “I think I just needed to see a fall, man, and gain a little confidence. My teammates did a great job trying to give me confidence.”

One teammate who has Betts constantly in his ear is infielder Max Muncy, whose locker is next to Betts' in the Dodgers' home clubhouse.

“If they accompany Shohei to pitch and he gets a big hit, I tell him, 'Hey, you're getting $400 million too, bro, you're still one of the best players in the game,'” Muncy said. “Sometimes you just have to remind them.”

In case Betts has forgotten, he is an eight-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove Award winner and the 2018 American League Most Valuable Player who played on both sides of the ball and led the Boston Red Sox to the 2018 World Series title and the Dodgers to the 2020 World Series title.

“I know he had some struggles in the postseason, but he's still one of the best players in baseball,” Muncy said. “He has been an incredible postseason player in the past. He had a severe strain. I think the biggest thing for him was getting out of his head. Now that he’s had a few hits, he can be Mookie Betts again.”