Roger Arrieta
The Dodgers continued to struggle against National League West pitching, dropping the first game of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres 9-3. A sellout crowd of 44,436, which included the usual large contingent of Dodger fans, watched starters Josh Beckett and Clayton Richard attempt to bounce back from their respective bad outings.
Richard, who had allowed three home runs and eight runs to the Mets in his previous start, seemed like the ideal opponent to jump-start the Dodger power bats. That would not be the case.
Juan Uribe extended his hitless start to the season, wasting a bases-loaded opportunity in the first inning by grounding out into an inning-ending double play.
Josh Beckett’s early game woes continued, as he surrendered a solo home run to Will Venable, followed by a double to Yonder Alonso and an RBI single to Jedd Gyorko in the first.
The Dodgers were unable to capitalize on a botched double play by Padres second baseman Alexi Amarista in the second inning, as Justin Sellers grounded into another double play.
But Uribe bounced back in the third, however, driving Richard’s pitch to the right field seats with Adrian Gonzalez aboard to tie the game at two runs.
After the shaky start, Beckett kept San Diego’s bats silent until the fifth inning, when catcher Nick Hundley hit his first home run of the year, to restore the lead for the Padres.
Skip Schumaker squandered another Dodgers opportunity in the sixth, by grounding into another inning-ending double play while pinch-hitting for Beckett.
Beckett allowed three runs off six hits over five innings, striking out four. He allowed two home runs to the Padres, who had a single home run as a team entering today’s game.
Gonzalez continued his dominance of left-handed pitching by hitting an RBI single off reliever Joe Thatcher in the seventh to tie the game 3-3.
Ronald Belisario came in to relieve in the seventh for the Dodgers, but could not make it out of the inning after allowing a lead-off single and an RBI double to pinch hitter Mark Kotsay. Belisario then hit Carlos Quentin with a pitch before being pulled by Don Mattingly with the bases loaded and two outs. Left-handed reliever Paco Rodriguez retired the next hitter to keep the Dodgers within one run.
But Chris Denorfia added another pinch-hit RBI for San Diego in the eighth inning, providing an insurance run for the Padres. The Padres then loaded the bases, and with two outs, Venable hit a bases-clearing triple to give him four RBIs for the game and put the game out of reach for the Dodgers.
Alonso kept the inning alive for the Padres on an infield hit off reliever J.P. Howell to make the score 9-3, before Howell finally retired the Padres. Dodgers relievers gave up three hits and five walks in the eighth inning.
Padres reliever Luke Gregerson, who made only one pitch, was the winning pitcher for the Padres, while Belisario took the loss.
Tomorrow’s starters are Chad Billingsley for the Dodgers (0-0) and Eric Stults for the Padres (1-0). First pitch is at 7:10.
– Francisco Reyes
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