The last time the Padres had a lead in a game against the Dodgers was May 6 when they were up 2-1 at Petco Park. They lost that game, then the next three games against L.A. by a combined score of 35-6.
It took them 19 innings in their latest series but the Padres finally got a lead against their rivals and were able to turn it in to a 5-3 win.
Manny Margot got the Padres over the hump when he launched a solo home run to centerfield off Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda in the 1st inning to put San Diego on top 1-0.
The Friars padded the lead in the 2nd inning. Erick Aybar was hit by a pitch trying to bunt for a base hit then went to 3rd on a single by Carlos Asuaje. After Luis Torrens walked, pitcher Jhoulys Chacin grounded in to a double play to bring home Aybar for a 2-0 lead.
Then the Padres did something they have not done much of in 2017: hit with two outs and runners in scoring position. San Diego entered the day with the worst offense in baseball in that situation. So it was quite the surprise when Jose Pirela roped a double to the left-centerfield gap to bring home Asuaje and Margot traded places with Pirela to make it a 4-0 game.
The 2-out RBI merry-go-round kept spinning in the 4th inning. Catcher Luis Torrens was on 3rd base with two outs when Pirela delivered another line drive single to give the Padres a 5-0 advantage and although he was not sharp by any means, Chacin kept the Dodgers offense in check.
Chacin threw 5.0 shutout innings but needed 107 pitches to do it. He allowed four hits and struck out six but also walked three and hit a pair of Dodgers hitters. The Dodgers got two runs back in the 6th inning on a single, a walk and a double by Corey Seager to make it 5-2. Rookie reliever Phil Maton was tagged with the runs, the first earned runs he has allowed since his big league call up. L.A. made it a 2-run game in the 7th when Yasmani Grandal hit a solo home run off Ryan Buchter.
That is as close as they got. Brandon Maurer preserved the win with a scoreless 9th inning, giving the Padres a winning homestand. They take Monday off and play the Indians in Cleveland on July 4th.
