Thursday was Andy Green’s birthday and I had no idea what to get him as a gift. Thankfully the Padres players knew a shutout victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers was a good way to go. The Padres started the first of a four game series against LA at Dodgers Stadium and they were solid from the start.
Drew Pomeranz toed the rubber for San Diego against Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu who made his first major league start in two years after undergoing shoulder surgery. Pomeranz was looking to seal his third consecutive win. The Padres were up to bat first and Melvin Upton Jr. got the game rolling in the right direction with a home run to right center. In the bottom of the second inning Pomeranz helped himself on the other side of the plate. The starting pitcher singled to center to bring in Alex Dickerson which gave the Padres the 2-0 lead.
The Padres offense had a great night. In the fifth inning Yangervis Solarte doubled to left to plate Matt Kemp. Ryu then intentionally walked Derek Norris which proved to be a very bad move. The next batter up to the plate was Dickerson and he tripled to deep right field to bring in Solarte and Norris. The Padres took a 6-0 lead and that was the end of the game for Ryu who was relieved by Casey Fien.
The Padres held the Dodgers the rest of the way and took game one in Los Angeles with a final score of 6-0. Pomeranz pitched 7 innings, only allowed two hits and notched six strike outs. We have yet to hear back on whether Green let Pomeranz have the first slice of his birthday cake for the great performance on the mound. The series continues Friday night in Los Angeles with game two. This is the last series for both teams before heading into the All-Star break.
