A four game losing streak was enough but it came down to the final frame as the Dodgers came from behind to beat the Padres. Nomar Garciaparra and Russ Martin both doubled home two runs in that pivotal ninth inning and they came off one of the premiere closers in baseball in Trevor Hoffman.
A pretty good start by Mark Hendrickson was almost wasted. He pitched five innings and gave up just one run while the Chad Billingsley bullpen experiment continues to flounder because he gave up three runs in two innings of relief. Rudy Seanez and Takashi Saito threw a shutout frame each to close the game and Seanez picked up the win while Saito saved it.
Nomar was a perfect four for four and he drove in two. Rafael Furcal finished with a hit and two runs while Juan Pierre singled, drove in a run and stole base in the 6-5 win.
The Giants lost as well, so the Dodgers are back in sole possession of first place. It’ll be Bret Tomko throwing against Greg Maddux in tonight’s game.
