The Dodgers beat up on the Diamondbacks in an 8-1 victory in Sunday’s rubber match before heading back home to get a 5-2 win over the Padres in Monday’s opener.
The Dodgers scored all eight runs off Brandon Webb and chased him out of the game in the fourth inning. Andre Ethier started things off with a solo homerun in the first on an 0-2 count before Casey Blake blasted a three-run homer. They scored another off Webb in the third before rallying for three more in the fourth, with Ethier smacking a double before two runs scored on an Arizona error. The Dodgers were then blanked for the next five frames, but an eight-run head start led them to the win.
Derek Lowe evened his record at .500 with the win, giving up no runs through six. He was given a four-run cushion before even taking the mound, and gave up just four hits. Scott Elbert gave the Dbacks their only run off a solo homerun in the seventh before Cory Wade and Jonathan Broxton each tossed an inning.
The Dodgers now remain 2 1/2 back after getting a win against the Padres on Monday, with Greg Maddux getting the win over his former team while totaling 354 for his career to tie him for 8th on the all-time list.
The Padres scored one in the first but the Dodgers answered back in the bottom half on James Loney’s RBI-single, which moves his hit streak to 12 games. The Dodgers took the lead for good in the second, with Angel Berroa driving an RBI-double before Maddux chipped in with an RBI-single. Blake drove a solo homerun in the third before Manny capped off the scoring in the seventh with a sacfly to score Russell Martin, who had singled and took third on Ethier’s single.
Maddux got his first win as an ‘08 Dodger, giving up two runs through 5 2/3. He gave the Padres a run in the first before holding them scoreless until the sixth when he gave up back-to-back doubles. Cory Wade then finished the inning before Hong-Chih Kuo tossed two hitless, scoreless innings, complete with three strikeouts, before Broxton notched his 11th save.
The Dodgers have gotten two straight wins, but have also suffered a loss, with the news that Jeff Kent will undergo knee surgery. At best, he could return by the end of the month as a pinch-hitter. The month of September, though, allows the roster to be expanded, with the Dodgers making a few activations and call-ups to add depth to the lineup and staff. The bullpen will add James McDonald, Eric Stults, and Scott Proctor, with outfielder Jason Repko also being called up and Andruw Jones and Delwyn Young being activated from the DL. There is also chatter of Saito returning to the closer role by season’s end, but Broxton will remain the closer for now, getting 11 saves in 13 chances since taking over the role.
The Dodgers look to make it three straight tonight, with Clayton Kershaw taking the mound to face Cha Seung Baek. Kershaw is 0-2 in his last two starts and Baek is 4-9 with a 4.99 ERA.
