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 Dan Haren threw seven shutout innings, and Crawford had a
season-high four hits as the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres
4-0 Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers (83-63) took two of three from the Padres. San Diego
(67-78) lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Crawford, the Dodgers' left fielder, went 4-for-4 with three doubles
and two RBIs. The three doubles tied a club record. Right fielder
Matt Kemp was the last Dodger to achieve the feat, doing so in 2011.
"Just trying to get in a groove and stay in it," said Crawford, who
recorded his third consecutive multi-hit game. "This time of year,
you want to have your swing right, so it seems like the season is
coming together right now. It's been a pretty good stretch for me so
far. I think this is probably one of the best runs I've had since
I've been here.
"I've been struggling the last few years with injuries and stuff
like that. This year has been one of the most positive years."
Crawford is batting .434 with six doubles, three homers, 20 runs and
14 RBIs in his past 26 games.
"Crawford has really come on strong. He's swinging the bat well,"
San Diego manager Bud Black said. "He hurt us in a series the last
time we were here. A very dynamic offensive player when he's right,
and he's right right now. He's playing extremely well."
Haren, who limited San Diego to four hits and a walk while striking
out five, captured his third win in four starts.
Los Angeles third baseman Juan Uribe and shortstop Hanley Ramirez
each drove in a run.
The Padres didn't record a hit in the final four innings. Haren
retired the final six batters he faced, and relievers J.P. Howell
and Kenley Jansen each tossed a hitless inning.
"I feel good, my stuff is working, and I have a really good rhythm
with (catcher) A.J. (Ellis)," said Haren, who is 4-1 with a 1.70 ERA
in his past seven starts. Haren improved to 2-1 against the Padres,
and he hasn't allowed an earned run in his past 13 innings against
San Diego. "We're just making it work. I didn't have the greatest
stuff today, but I was locating good and keeping them off balance."
Haren (13-10) joined Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu
as Dodgers pitchers with at least 13 wins this season. Los Angeles
last had a quartet of 13-game winners in 1985, when Orel Hershiser,
Fernando Valenzuela, Jerry Reuss and Bob Welch were taking the
mound.
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San Diego starter Ian Kennedy, who faced the Dodgers for the sixth
time this season, remains winless in his past nine starts against
them. Kennedy (10-13) allowed three runs on 10 hits with five
strikeouts and a walk in six-plus innings.
Crawford's double off the wall in left-center scored Kemp to give
the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Los Angeles had a
chance to add more, loading the bases with two outs, but center
fielder Yasiel Puig took a called third strike to end the inning.
Ramirez's run-scoring single with two outs in the sixth inning drove
in second baseman Justin Turner for a 2-0 lead.
In the seventh, Crawford led off with a double and scored on Uribe's
base hit for a 3-0 advantage. Crawford doubled home second baseman
Darwin Barney in the eighth.
Kemp singled in the second inning to extend his hitting streak to a
season-best 16 games.
Padres center fielder Will Venable left the game in the fifth inning
due to a back strain. He is listed as day-to-day.
NOTES: San Diego manager Bud Black said Wednesday he spoke
prematurely Monday about the anticipated return of injured SS Everth
Cabrera for the Padres' weekend series in Arizona against the
Diamondbacks. Black said he was advised that Cabrera must wait for
approval from Major League Baseball to return because Cabrera was
arrested a week ago for driving under the influence of marijuana,
according to authorities in the San Diego area. Cabrera has been on
the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 12 with a left hamstring strain.
... Both teams are off Thursday. ... The National League
West-leading Dodgers venture to San Francisco for a showdown with
the second-place Giants beginning Friday. ... The Padres open their
series in Phoenix on Friday. ... The game drew a crowd of 45,586.
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reserved.]
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