Down 2-1 entering the 7th, the Dodgers were able to take advantage of some tough lights in the outfield of Petco Park, and cruise to a victory over the San Diego Padres, 7-2.
It was quite the interesting future Hall of Famer/young phenom matchup of Greg Maddux vs. Clayton Kershaw. Both men ended up pitching well, though neither factored in the decision. Still, it was great to see both the past and the future in one game.
The Dodgers struck first when Russell Martin singled home Juan Pierre in the 1st for a 1-0 lead. Martin, hitting in the cleanup spot, had another fantastic game last night, as he finished 3-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB. How in the world this guy is only 5th in the All-Star game voting for catchers is beyond me. That's a bigger joke than the officiating in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Come on people, he should be the starter! Get cracking!
Ok that rant is now over. The Padres scored the next 2 on an Adrian Gonzalez RBI single and a wild pitch to score Kevin Kouzmanoff. Other than that (and 4 walks), Kershaw seemed in control. Well, maybe the word "control" shouldn't be used, considering that's what has been getting him into trouble. But, it was a nice start for him, especially since the Pads were hot and riding a 5-game winning streak. It's a step in the right direction.
The 7th is when the adventure started. Both Brian Giles and Justin Huber were unable to find fly balls in the lights, and the Dodgers were handed gift base runners. Martin had added 2 more RBI's on a single to score Pierre and Andre Ethier. Matt Kemp beat out a slow roller to short that scored both Jeff Kent and the hustling Martin, who should be the All-Star starter (have I mentioned that yet?) The game was pretty much over after that.
2 more runs were tacked on in the 9th when Kemp hit an RBI fielder's choice, and Martin scored on a Gonzalez error. All in all, while it's good to see the Dodgers hustling to make things happen on the bases, the Padres just self-destructed. That's probably why they've been playing so poorly this year. With as weak a hitting team as they have, they simply cannot afford to give away outs like that. Pretty much just like the Dodgers, actually.
With 1 win under their belts, the Dodgers will send Chad Billingsley to the mound tonight against Randy Wolf, who's pitched well this year. Jake Peavy is scheduled to return on Thursday, and he's an absolute Dodger-killer. Getting another win tonight would be ideal.
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