Dodgers 6, Padres 4
Los Angeles Dodgers (40-20):
20/20 – The Dodgers moved to 20 games over .500 for the second time this season and maintained their 8.5-game lead over the Giants in the NL West with a 6-4 win over the Padres. Jonathan Broxton recorded his 14th save in 16 chances and Chad Billingsley tied the NL lead for wins with his eighth victory.
POWERBALL – The Dodgers cracked a season-high tying four home runs as Andre Ethier hit two homers while Matt Kemp and Orlando Hudson each hit solo blasts. On April 18 vs. Colorado , Ethier and Manny Ramirez homered two times apiece.
DRE DAYS – After hitting just .211 in May, Dodger right fielder Andre Ethier has started June on fire. Ethier went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs, bringing his team-leading total to 11. The multi-homer game was the sixth of his career and his fourth this season alone. The Arizona native now has six lifetime homers off Young, which is his highest total off any pitcher in baseball by four. Ethier is batting .419 (13-for-31) with five home runs during the month.
THE GREAT EIGHT – Dodger starter Chad Billingsley recorded his eighth win of the season, despite going a season-low 5.2 innings. Billingsley joins Colorado ’s Jason Marquis, San Francisco ’s Matt Cain, and New York ’s Johan Santana as the only eight-win pitchers in the NL.
LONE-STAR LOGAN – Dodger Assistant General Manger, Scouting Logan White announced today that the club selected left-handed pitcher Aaron Miller out of Baylor University with the 36th overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. Miller was taken in the sandwich round as compensation for the loss of free-agent pitcher Derek Lowe. Miller represents the fourth Texas native selected by White and his team since taking over the draft in 2002. The others were James Loney in 2002, Clayton Kershaw in 2006, and Chris Withrow in 2008. Los Angeles also took outfielder Blake Smith from UC Berkeley, right-hander Garrett Gould from Maize HS in Kansas , and right-handed pitcher Brett Wallach from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa . Wallach is the son of Triple-A Albuquerque manager Tim Wallach and the younger brother of Dodger farmhand Matt Wallach.
San Diego Padres (27-31):
DAD IS PROUD – Padres’ center fielder Tony Gwynn went 3-for-4 with a walk tonight, raising his average on the season to .352. The three hits tied his career high set on May 12, 2007 at Shea Stadium as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Gwynn has had multiple hits in three of his last four games and he has eight hits in his last 16 at-bats overall (.500).
FOUR SPOT – San Diego starter Chris Young gave up four home runs tonight, tying his career high which he gave up on May 13 this year at Wrigley Field.
NICKED UP – Padres’ catcher Nick Hundley left the game in the sixth inning after getting hit by Chad Billingsley on the left wrist by a 93-MPH fastball.
W: Chad Billingsley (8-3)
L: Chris Young (4-5)
S: Jonathan Broxton (14)
HR: Ethier 2 (10,11), Kemp (7), Hudson (4)
Leave a Reply