In the middle of the week the Padres went to Atlanta and got swept by the Braves, the team with the worst record in baseball. So of course they went in to Los Angeles and took the series opener against the Dodgers, the team in first place in the National League West.
#ThatsBaseball
San Diego's pitching staff gave up 13 hits but only two runs in a 4-2 win on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Clayton Richard went the first 5.0 innings, allowing nine hits but just one run on a Joc Pederson RBI single in the fourth inning.
Richard was in line for the win because in the top of the 6th Padres catcher Derek Norris, who has been in an awful slump, ripped a 2-run double off wall in left field. Yangervis Solarte and Alex Dickerson scored to put the Friars on top 2-1. The two RBI for Norris matched his total for the entire month of August.
Los Angeles tied the game in the bottom half when Pederson hit a solo home run off Brandon Morrow. After that the Padres bullpen went in to lockdown mode. Brad Hand tossed 1.2 innings of shutout ball with four strikeouts. He was followed by perfect innings by Ryan Buchter and Brandon Maurer. Hand ended up getting the win because of a big blast from his 3rd baseman.
Solarte led off the 8th inning with a solo bomb, his 14th of the season. Brett Wallace added an RBI single to bring in the final run of the night.
San Diego can win the series on Saturday when Luis Perdomo, coming off his first career complete game, takes the mound against Rich Hill.
