|
 The Dodgers slugged five home runs to defeat the San Diego Padres
8-4 on Friday night.
"It was going pretty good tonight," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly
said "You just don't see that many home runs here but they were hit
pretty good."
The win pushed the Dodgers' lead over the San Francisco Giants to a
season-high 7.5 games in the National League West.
Mike Bolsinger (6-3) won his third straight start but for the first
time since July 29. Bolsinger, who pitched five innings and allowed
three runs on two hits and two walks, spent the last month in
Triple-A Oklahoma City.
"It was a good team win and it was nice to keep the team in the ball
game.
Bolsinger beat the Padres for the second time this season, throwing
eight innings of shutout ball against them on May 23.
Los Angeles rallied twice in the game and then pulled away with a
five-run sixth. That inning included a two-run, pinch-hit homer by
Justin Ruggiano, a two-run shot by first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and
a solo blast from second baseman Chase Utley.
"Those home runs from Justin and Adrian gave us a little bit of
cushion and we were able to work from there," Mattingly said.
Marcus Mateo (1-1), who pitched to two batters in the sixth, got the
loss.
The Dodgers' other homers, both solo, came from left fielder Carl
Crawford in the first and right fielder Scott Schebler in the
second. It was Schebler's first major league homer.
"Doing it off James Shields is special and just to get it out of the
way too," he said. "You hear about him all the time. You know how
good he is."
Good for Schebler, he got the ball back for a steal.
"I guess they threw it back on the field," he said. "They sent
somebody but I guess that is the good thing about these days they
throw it back on field instead of trying to keep it."
Los Angeles, the NL-leader with 162 home runs, has won nine of its
last 11 games.
"We kind of said we weren't a home-run hitting club and we continue
to hit them," Mattingly said. "Whatever we're saying we're not is
working. We just have to try to win games. Obviously I'm not
complaining about home runs."
The Padres' James Shields had a rocky start. He collected a
season-high six walks in five innings, charged with three runs and
three hits. He struck out four.
"You can go through with each pitche and kind of analyze the
pitches," Shields said. "I made quality pitches that all weren't
called strikes. I was getting behind in the count and walking guys.
That's definitely unusual.
"I was just missing. It's a game of inches. Those pitches I thought
he could have called strikes and he didn't call them. You get behind
in the count 2-0, 3-0, it's hard to come back from that."
[to top of second column] |
Added interim manager Pat Murphy: "I don't think he was missing by
much. He certainly made some big pitches and he made a lot of close
pitches that didn't go his way. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying
that there were a lot of close ones. It wasn't like his command was
way off."
San Diego's Brett Wallace hit his third pinch-hit homer of the
season in the eighth. It was contest's eighth homer, which tied the
single-game mark at Petco Park.
Shields surrendered his second lead of the game in the fifth inning
when the Dodgers pushed the tying run across.
Shortstop Jimmy Rollins scored to make it 3-3 when third baseman
Corey Seager reached on a fielder's choice. Rollins had doubled and
advanced on walks to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and second
baseman Chase Utley.
In the third inning second baseman Jedd Gyorko hit a double that
became a home run. It was initially thought the ball ricocheted off
the top of the left-field wall, but after a 1:50 review, it was
ruled a homer, putting the Padres ahead 3-2.
The Padres seized a 2-1 lead on right fielder Matt Kemp's two-run
homer in the first inning. Kemp's blast, his 17th of the year, drove
in third baseman Yangervis Solarte after he walked.
Shields has been haunted by the home run ball this season and that
was true against the Dodgers.
Left fielder Carl Crawford gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead in the first
when hitting a homer deep in the right-field bleachers.
In the second, right fielder Schebler redirected a Shields changeup
443 feet for a solo homer to tie the game, 2-2. It was the 28th home
run allowed by Shields, tied for the third-most in major leagues.
NOTES: Padres INF Wil Myers (wrist) was activated from the disabled
list and started at first base Friday. ... San Diego RHP Brandon
Maurer (shoulder) suffered a setback on his rehabilitation and has
ceased throwing . ... Padres SS Jedd Gyorko hit in the No. 2 hole
for the third time this season. ... One night after his major league
debut when he played shortstop, Corey Seager started at third base
for the Dodgers on Friday. ... Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he
met with RHP Mat Latos in wake of Latos' criticism of Mattingly
pulling him from Thursday's game. ... Mattingly said it might be
difficult for OF Yasiel Puig (hamstring) to return before the end of
the season.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
