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 Second baseman Jedd Gyorko homered, Cashner pitched seven strong
innings, and the Padres snapped a six-game skid by beating the Los
Angeles Dodgers 6-3 at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.
Gyorko's 10th home run helped San Diego (67-77) end a four-game
winning streak by Los Angeles (82-63). The Dodgers' lead over the
San Francisco Giants dwindled to 2 1/2 games in the National League
West.
Cashner, who went 0-6 despite posting a 2.86 ERA in his previous 11
starts, was the catalyst for the victory. He gave up two runs and
scattered nine hits, striking out two and walking one on 99 pitches,
including 69 strikes. Cashner (3-7) defeated the Dodgers for the
first time in his career, though he has a 1.89 ERA in three starts
against them this season. He also drove in two runs.
"It's kind of been a monkey on my back," said Cashner, who won for
the first time since April 16, when he beat the Colorado Rockies. "I
don't pay a lot of attention to it, but it's finally nice to get a
win and help the team out."
Cashner said his familiarity with the Dodgers helped.
"I feel like I know this lineup really well, better than any lineup
I face," Cashner said. "I face them a lot. If I can command my
fastball against these guys, it's usually going to be a good night."
Said San Diego catcher Rene Rivera, "You guys saw it, 98, 97 (mph)
with movement. He showed that he's ready to compete and win. He was
good. He was throwing his fastball well, and his slider was the best
I've seen so far."
Dodgers starter Roberto Hernandez didn't hang around long enough to
get an at-bat. Hernandez lasted just three innings, allowing five
runs (two earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
Hernandez (8-11) dropped three of his past four starts, including
another one to the Padres on Aug. 20.
"If this isn't a September game, we probably would have sent him
back out there to get some innings, but it just ended up being a
game that when you have enough people, you have to try to hit early
and get back in the game any way you can," Dodgers manager Don
Mattingly said. "He wasn't in there very long."
Los Angeles first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit his club-leading 23rd
home run, a two-run shot in the sixth that closed the gap to 5-2,
but the Dodgers couldn't overcome the deficit. That was one of the
few slips Cashner made.
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"I thought my sinker was working really well, broke a lot of bats,"
Cashner said. "Had my slider working and kept my changeup down. I
made two mistakes to Gonzalez and (Matt) Kemp, but for the most part
I thought I settled down and made pitches when I needed to."
San Diego first baseman Yasmani Grandal went 2-for-3 with two walks
and two runs, while third baseman Cory Spangenberg was 2-for-5 with
an RBI.
Kemp doubled in the sixth off Cashner to extend his season-high
hitting streak to 15 games.
The Padres took advantage of two errors by shortstop Hanley Ramirez
to score three runs in the second inning. Cashner's two-run double
with two outs plated right fielder Rymer Liriano and shortstop Alexi
Amarista, and the pitcher scored on Spangenberg's single.
After Hernandez issued a walk Grandal to lead off the third, Gyorko
drilled the first pitch into the center field bleachers for a
two-run blast and a 5-0 San Diego advantage.
"I was just looking for a fastball out over the plate," said Gyorko,
who went 2-for-4. "He had walked (Grandal) on four pitches, so I was
going to be real selective on the pitch that I wanted, and I
obviously got a good pitch."
NOTES: Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig remains homerless since July 31, when
he hit one against the Atlanta Braves. ... An error Monday by Padres
OF Cameron Maybin snapped a string of 189 games since his last one,
which occurred May 19, 2012. ... Los Angeles has a 41-22 mark
against National League West opponents. Thirteen of the club's final
17 games will be against division foes, a four-game set against the
Chicago Cubs (Sept. 18-21) being the lone exception. ... Padres RHP
Ian Kennedy (10-12, 3.75 ERA) will face Dodgers RHP Dan Haren
(12-10, 4.17 ERA) in the series finale Wednesday. ... The game drew
a crowd of 45,213.
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