|
 "Was this your best win of the year?" Black was asked after the
Padres scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth Friday night to
beat the Dodgers 6-5 at Petco Park.
"That was a good one," said Black. "It has to be right up there with
Opening Day."
Which happened to be a come-from-behind, 3-1 win over the Dodgers
with the Padres scoring all three of their runs in the bottom of the
eighth.
Kept in the game early on a pair of solo homers by left fielder Seth
Smith off Dodgers starter Dan Haren and a run-scoring, pinch-hit
single by Jake Goebbert in his first major league plate appearance,
the Padres scored three runs against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in
the bottom of the ninth to overcame a 5-3 deficit.
Shortstop Everth Cabrera capped the rally with a walk-off, one-out
sacrifice fly to right to score Will Venable.
"I wanted contact more than anything," said Cabrera, who like so
many Padres has been struggling at the plate. "Will is fast and he
was coming to the plate even if it was a grounder. But I got in the
air and deep enough to get the run home."
Reserve third baseman Alexi Amarista -- who saw the Dodgers score
three runs on two infield hits off his glove and set up a fourth
Dodger run with a throwing error -- greeted Jansen with a lead-off
single in the ninth.
With Amarista going on a hit-and-run play, pinch-hitter Carlos
Quentin lined a double just inside the left field foul line to bring
the Padres to within a run. Venable then drove in Cashner with a
pinch-hit double to left-center.
The Padres third pinch-hitter of the inning, Rene Rivera moved
Venable to third with a sacrifice bunt to set the stage for Cabrera,
who two years ago stole home with the winning run against Jansen,
who fell to 0-3 after his third blown save in 23 chances.
"Next time, I think he hits me," Cabrera joked after his fly to
right.
The win was the third straight for the Padres in what Black admits
has been a "tough week" following Monday's death of Hall of Fame
outfielder Tony Gwynn.
"There's still a lot of emotion," said Black.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers had a three-game winning streak snapped while
on the verge of closing to within three games of San Francisco in
the National League West race.
"This was a tough loss for us and a good one for them," said first
baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who drove in the Dodgers final run with a
fifth-inning sacrifice fly that gave Los Angeles a 5-1 lead.
Haren appeared in position to win his eighth game although he
allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Smith kept the Padres close with his first two-homer game since
2011. Four of his eight homers this season have come in four games
against the Dodgers and the first of his solo homers off Haren on
Friday night travelled 435 feet -- the longest by a Padre at Petco
Park this season.
[to top of second column] |
The Dodgers chased Padres starter Ian Kennedy (5-9) from the game
after five innings while building a 5-2 lead.
Kennedy allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits, although two
of the run-scoring hits were off the glove of Amarista (who was
subbing for the injured Chase Headley) with two Padres errors and
two Kennedy wild pitches also contributing to the Dodgers offense.
Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon opened the game with a triple to right
center and scored when second baseman Jace Peterson's throw skipped
past Amarista for a throwing error. Gonzalez doubled with two out
and scored on Matt Kemp's single off Amarista's glove.
Smith's 435-foot blast halved the lead in the bottom of the first.
The Dodgers scored three in the fifth, the first two coming on a
Yasiel Puig single off Amarista's glove after a walk and two Kennedy
wild pitches. Amarista's wild throw to the plate allowed Puig to
advance to third, from where he scored on Gonzalez's sacrifice fly
to center.
Goebbert singled in his first major league plate appearance in the
bottom of the fifth to drive home Amarista, who opened the inning
with a double. Smith hit his second homer leading off the sixth.
NOTES: Dodgers INF Juan Uribe, who has been on the disabled list
since May 21 with a right hamstring strain, started his rehab
assignment with Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday. ... OF Carl
Crawford, who has been out since May 27 with a left ankle sprain,
has had his activities reduced. ... Headley (back pain) and Quentin
(right knee soreness) were unavailable at the start of Friday
night's game. ... Padres LHP Robbie Erlin, on the disabled list
since May 18 with elbow soreness, is "ramping up" his throwing
program. ... Meanwhile, RHP Casey Kelly, who had Tommy John surgery
at the start of the 2013 season, still hasn't thrown since his rehab
assignment at Double-A San Antonio was halted early last month due
to pain in his reconstructed elbow.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
