Padres hammers Dodgers 5-0
August 6th 2010
The Padres had been challenged effectively since the last two games by Los Angeles starters Ted Lilly and Vicente Padilla. But this time replenished their two-game lead over the San Francisco Giants, who were defeated in Atlanta on Thursday. They maintained the Dodgers eight-game edge, that they gained against the two-time defending division champs as they came to Los Angeles.
"That play made a big impact in the ninth inning, when we were down five instead of being down three," Dodger baseman Casey Blake said. "It was a weird play."
"That's what it comes down to," Manager Joe Torre said. "We had guys in scoring position, especially late."
The Dodgers didn’t look the same team who scored nine runs a night back. Their soft-hitting that let them down in the standing for the last three weeks, was similarly evident in this performance.
This was not the only weak part; for the first time in his career-as All-Star right fielder, Andre Ethier played first base, shifting there as part of a ninth-inning double-switch.
Correia (8-7) allowed four hits over 5 2-3 innings and did not strike out a batter in his 100th major league start.
Ryan Theriot singled his first two times up, the Dodgers' only hits off Correia until Scott Podsednik's broken-bat single with one out in the sixth.
Andre Ethier chased Correia one out later with a single, but Joe Thatcher retired James Loney on a fly ball. Thatcher has allowed only one of 25 inherited runners to score this season.
Ernesto Frieri pitched the seventh, extending his streak of scoreless innings from the start of his career to 10 1-3 spanning 11 appearances. Luke Gregerson gave up two two-out singles in the eighth before Heath Bell got the final four outs to get his 31st save in 34 attempts. It was third save of more than an inning.
The Padres lowered their major league-leading ERA to 3.28. Their bullpen leads the majors with a 2.79 mark.
San Diego's scored their final two runs in the ninth against reliever Octavio Dotel, when Chris Denorfia was credited with an inside-the-park two-run homer after a walk to Tony Gwynn Jr. Denorfia hit a line drive down the left field line and into foul territory, where the ball skipped past Podsednik.
Los Angeles starter Chad Billingsley (9-6) gave up three runs and seven hits over six innings.
In his previous start last Saturday at San Francisco, Billingsley pitched on three days' rest because of Clayton Kershaw's suspension and held the Giants to two hits in 6 2-3 scoreless innings, leaving with a 1-0 lead. But closer Jonathan Broxton gave up a go-ahead two-run homer to Pat Burrell in the eighth while attempting a four-out save.
Billingsley extended his scoreless innings streak to 25 before San Diego grabbed a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Chase Headley and Adrian Gonzalez hit consecutive RBI singles and Gwynn added a sacrifice fly.
The runs snapped a 20-inning drought by the Padres stretching back to Miguel Tejada's solo homer in the first inning of their 2-1 loss on Tuesday night. They also went 20 consecutive innings without a run against the Dodgers earlier this season.
This further closed Dodgers’ chance to take a four-game set from the division-leading Padres and diminished their lead in the National League West ended by getting a series split.
Now they are eight games back of the Padres and remained six behind the wild-card-leading San Franciso Giants.
Dodger Manager Torre is still optimistic that dropped shortstop Rafael Furcal will be back in the team by the time they will open a three-game series in Philadelphia on Tuesday, but there were more news of injuries which were making their position skeptical in the upcoming season.
Russell Martin has already been ruled out for the rest of the year, that after the three must weeks he is going to spend on crutches, the season will be in the final phases.
Manny Ramirez is in Arizona currently training at the Dogdgers’ spring training complex while healing his strained calf at Athletes’ Performance Institute.
Same goes for Manny Ramirez, Torre concluded, “ He doesn’t seem close.”
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