Dodgers at Padres
The San Diego Padres needed only six pitches to accomplish Saturday what they could not do in nine innings the night before and, in doing so, they ended their season-long drought against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres aim for consecutive wins for the first time in three weeks Sunday when they meet the Dodgers for the rubber match of their three-game set in Monterrey, Mexico.
San Diego's Travis Jankowski tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and scored moments later on a homer from Eric Hosmer on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Padres found themselves on the wrong end of a combined no-hitter. Los Angeles eventually pulled in front, but Raffy Lopez's two-run blast sparked a four-run rally over the Padres' final three trips to the plate as they beat the Dodgers for the first time in five meetings this season. "It was big for us, after a day like yesterday you want to start fast. Then the bullpen gave us the opportunity to come back a couple of times," San Diego manager Andy Green told reporters. Matt Kemp and Chris Taylor each went 3-for-4 and combined to drive in all four runs for the Dodgers, who were denied matching their season-high four-game winning streak.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles), FS San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers RH Ross Stripling (0-1, 2.33 ERA) vs. Padres LH Eric Lauer (0-1, 10.13)
Stripling will make his second straight start in place of injured Rich Hill, although he was able to squeeze a perfect inning of relief in against Arizona on Thursday. The 28-year-old, who made his first 10 appearances of the season out of the bullpen, was pounded for four runs on eight hits Monday versus the Diamondbacks to fall to 3-7 with a 4.46 ERA in 17 career starts. Stripling managed to pitch a scoreless relief frame against San Diego on April 17 despite walking three.
Lauer gave up three first-inning runs Monday but worked four scoreless frames after that in a loss at San Francisco, eventually finishing with seven strikeouts in the outing. The 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft, who was tagged for seven runs (six earned) across three innings six days earlier in Colorado, is allowing hitters to bat .400 against him the first time through the order. Lauer earned his promotion by going 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA while holding opponents to a .172 average at Triple-A El Paso earlier this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. In five games versus the Padres this season, Kemp is 9-for-17 with three home runs and nine RBIs.
2. San Diego OF Franchy Cordero has reached base safely in a career-high nine straight contests despite going 0-for-4 through two games in this series.
3. Los Angeles rookie OF Alex Verdugo failed to reach base for the first time in seven career games Saturday.