|
 But you couldn't tell it by the words of manager Don Mattingly after
the Dodgers came from behind with two runs in the eighth to defeat
San Diego 4-3 at Petco Park.
"I'm frustrated with our team tonight," said Mattingly. "Too many
mistakes. It's easier to swallow when you get the win. Clayton
Kershaw pitched well enough to win tonight."
Kershaw allowed one run on four hits over 6 2/3 innings with three
walks and 11 strikeouts -- although his run of 17 straight scoreless
innings ended when Padres shortstop Clint Barmes hit a solo homer
with one out to trigger a three-run Padres' seventh that erased a
2-0 Dodgers lead.
But pinch-hitter Alex Guerrero singled home Andre Ethier with the
tie-breaking run on a soft liner to center with two-out in the
eighth to give the Dodgers a fourth straight win.
Even in the Dodgers' game-winning inning, the visitors had two
runners thrown out on the bases. And it was a bizarre muffed infield
pop-up in the seventh that enabled the Padres to take a 3-2 lead.
Still ahead 2-1 with two out and no one on in the seventh, Kershaw
gave way to right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia after a season-high
117 pitches.
"My fastball command was so bad that my pitch count just kept going
up and up," said Kershaw. "Obviously, I can't give up that homer. If
I hadn't, I might have been able to finish the seventh and we might
have gotten out of there with a 2-0 win."
"Kershaw got better as the game went on," said Padres manager Bud
Black. "But we had a lot of good at-bats against him that drove up
his pitch count. He was using his breaking ball and curve more than
I can remember."
It was Kershaw's pitch count that forced Mattingly to go to the
bullpen. And as soon as Garcia arrived, so did problems for the
Dodgers.
Garcia got the first batter he faced, first baseman Wil Myers, to
pop up in front of the plate. But the ball fell to the turf after
Garcia got tangled up with Justin Turner - who was playing first
following the ejection of Adrian Gonzalez in the top of the inning.
Turner was charged with the error.
Padres catcher Derek Norris followed with a 360-foot drive down the
line in left that gave the Padres a short-lived 3-2 lead.
The Dodgers answered by opening the eighth with three straight hits
against Padres reliever Dale Thayer -- an opposite-field double by
second baseman Howie Kendrick, a run-scoring single by Turner and a
single by Ethier.
Shortly after right-hander Shawn Kelley replace Thayer, Turner was
picked off second on a throw from Norris. But Dodgers catcher A.J.
Ellis drew a walk, to move Ethier to second, just ahead of
Guerrero's single. Ethier scored just ahead of Ellis being thrown
out at third on center fielder Melvin Upton Jr.'s throw.
Garcia (3-2) got the win for the Dodgers with Kenley Jansen getting
his eighth save as he struck out thje side in the ninth around a
single by Myers. Thayer (2-1) suffered the loss for the Padres.
The Dodgers, with the help of the Padres defense, scored single runs
in the third and fourth to stake Kershaw to a 2-0 lead.
[to top of second column] |
Both runs scored on two-out singles.
Padres starter Odrisamer Despaigne retired the first two Dodgers he
faced in the third then hit the Dodgers lead-off man and center
fielder Joc Pederson with a pitch. Right fielder Yasiel Puig hit a
chopper toward third that Padres third baseman Will Middlebrooks
changed and failed to make a bare-hand grab-and-throw for an error.
Gonzalez, who is hitting .432 (16-for-37) against his former team
this season with 11 RBIs, grounded a single to center to drive in
Pederson with the game's first run.
Turner, who opened the game at third, singled to lead off the fourth
and moved to second on left fielder Ethier's grounder to short. With
two out, who was hitting .136, hit a short fly to left that fell
just in front of Padres left fielder Justin Upton for a single.
Meanwhile, the Padres had runners on base in five of the first six
innings against Kershaw but were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring
position.
The Dodgers threatened again in the top of the seventh, loading the
bases with one out on Ellis's second single and walks issued by
left-handed reliever Frank Garces to the first two hitters he faced.
But Garces got Gonzalez to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Gonzalez was ejected by plate umpire Doug Eddings after the play for
protesting a strike call earlier in the at-bat.
Despaigne worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on
six hits and a walk with five strikeouts.
NOTES: The Dodgers Friday promoted 30-year-old Cuban INF Hector
Olivera to Triple-A Oklahoma City after only six games at Double-A
Tulsa. The Dodgers signed Olivera to a six-year, $62.5 million
contract earlier this season. ... The Dodgers acquired INF Ronald
Torreyes, 22, from Toronto for cash considerations and assigned him
to Tulsa. ... In a corresponding move, the Dodgers designated INF
Darwin Barney for assignment. ... RHPs Joaquin Benoit and Brandon
Maurer were unavailable to the Padres Friday. Both had worked two of
the last three games and five of the last seven. ... LHP Cory
Luebke, who has had two Tommy John surgeries since he last pitched
early in the 201s season, will start and pitch one inning for high
Single-A Lake Elsinore Saturday.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
