Maddux Leads Padres Past Dodgers

[April 14, 2008]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Greg Maddux recorded his 349th career victory one day before his 42nd birthday and Paul McAnulty drove in the only run with a sacrifice fly, leading the San Diego Padres to a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.

Maddux (2-0) threw 68 pitches over five innings in 95-degree heat, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two. The four-time Cy Young winner has made nine of his 35 career starts against the Dodgers in April, going 8-0 with a 1.11 ERA in that month.

Maddux was exactly what the Padres needed following Saturday night's 11-1 loss. The eight-time All-Star combined with four relievers on a five-hitter. Trevor Hoffman, the all-time saves leader, pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth of the season and 528th of his career.

Chad Billingsley (0-2) allowed a run and four hits, struck out eight and walked two over five innings in his first crack at the Padres since going 4-0 with a 1.05 ERA last year against them.

The only other time that a Dodgers pitcher beat San Diego four times in a season was 1974, when Don Sutton and Andy Messersmith accounted for half of Los Angeles' 16 victories in the season series (16-2) and the Dodgers went on to win the NL pennant.

Billingsley matched zeros with Maddux through three innings before the Padres scratched out a run in the fourth with a leadoff walk to Jim Edmonds -- his first of the season in 29 plate appearances -- a double by Khalil Greene and McAnulty's scoring flyball to right field.

Greene, whose .984 fielding percentage last season set a franchise record for shortstops, bailed out Maddux in the bottom half. He made a diving stop of Russell Martin's hard-hit grounder toward the middle and threw him out to strand Jeff Kent at second base.

Maddux gave up a bloop single to his first batter, Rafael Furcal, then was charged with his first balk since the 2000 season. Furcal remained stranded at second base as Juan Pierre lined out to second, Andre Ethier flied out to center and Kent followed with a sharp comebacker to Maddux that the 17-time Gold Glove winner handled flawlessly.

Notes: There are currently 20 members of the Hall of Fame who pitched past their 42nd birthday. Thirteen of them were born in the 20th century, including Sutton, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Dennis Eckersley, and Goose Gossage -- who will formally be inducted into Cooperstown on July 27. ... Maddux's next start is Saturday at Arizona, where the 22-year veteran will attempt to become the ninth pitcher in history with 350 career wins. Clemens joined that fraternity last July 1 at Yankee Stadium against Minnesota. ... RHP Jonathan Broxton worked the eighth inning for the Dodgers and struck out the side. His 99 strikeouts last season were second in the majors among relievers, three behind San Diego's Heath Bell.

[Associated Press; By HOWARD FENDRICH]

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