Red-hot Xander Bogaerts leads Padres into series vs. Dodgers

(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

Xander Bogaerts is slugging and the San Diego Padres are winning.

The two things are very related.

As San Diego starts a two-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, it does so with its second baseman hitting the ball harder than he has all year.

Bogaerts doubled twice and tripled on Saturday in a 9-4 rout of Baltimore, then cracked a two-run ho