Grandal hits 3 homers as Dodgers pound Padres
LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal hit three home runs against his former team Friday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded out a 10-6 victory over the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.
Grandal went deep twice against Padres starter Andrew Cashner -- a two-run home run in the first inning and a three-run home run in the third inning -- before bunting for a single against the defensive shift in the fourth.
Traded by the Padres to the Dodgers in a deal that included Matt Kemp before the 2015 season, Grandal's next at-bat came against Padres reliever Jose Dominguez in the seventh inning and he crushed a solo home run for his third homer, fourth hit and sixth RBI of the night.
That was the loudest noise on an offensive night for both teams.
Two starting pitchers, Cashner and Dodgers left-hander Scott Kazmir, combined to give up 11 runs on 14 hits and six walks while lasting a total of 5 2/3 innings -- Kazmir completed three innings, Cashner did not.
The Dodgers scored eight times in the first three innings. Along with Grandal's first two home runs, Justin Turner and Howie Kendrick also hit home runs.
Kazmir needed to throw 85 pitches just to get through the first three innings. But he left with a five-run lead thanks to the Dodgers offense.
Kazmir's early departure left a lot of work for the Dodgers' bullpen -- something that has become a daily occurrence, particularly since Clayton Kershaw went on the DL.
Dodgers relievers have pitched 43 innings over the past nine games, the same total as Dodgers starting pitchers.
Pedro Baez was the most effective of the relief corps Friday.
The Padres were threatening to get back into the game in the fifth inning. They scored twice against Louis Coleman and J.P. Howell and had the bases loaded with one out when Baez came into the game.
He got Will Myers to bounce his first pitch back to him and Baez turned that into a 1-2-3 inning-ending double play. Baez worked through a scoreless sixth and seventh inning as well, the longest outing of his big-league career.
The Padres never threatened again as Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen finished off the victory for the Dodgers, snapping their three-game losing streak.
NOTES: The Dodgers promoted OF Andrew Toles from Triple-A Oklahoma City and started him in center field. Toles had a checkered past (dismissed from the team at the University of Tennessee, released by the Tampa Bay Rays in spring 2015, out of baseball last year) before being given a second chance by the Dodgers this year. ... In order to clear a roster spot for Toles, the Dodgers returned RHP Carlos Frias to Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated minor league INF Cole Figueroa for assignment. ... Dodgers LHP Brett Anderson threw a bullpen session Friday afternoon, his second this week. Anderson is still in the early stages of a throwing program and is not expected to return from back surgery until mid- to late-August. ... The Padres have been very active since the international signing period began last week. They have agreed to terms with LHP Adrian Morejon, one of the top international prospects available. Morejon reportedly received an $11 million bonus. The 17-year-old Cuban is ranked No. 2 on MLB.com's top international prospects list. ... Padres C Derek Norris left Friday's game with a bruised right quad after a collision with Dodgers 2B Chase Utley while running the bases.