Yasiel Puig started the Dodgers off with a solo home run in the first inning in San Diego on Thursday, but the bats faltered with runners on base and the bullpen could not keep the game close in the 6-3 loss.
The starter for the Dodgers, Stephen Fife, was very successful in six innings, giving up one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts.
Fife ran into his only trouble in the fifth inning after giving up a single to Alexi Amarista and Pedro Ciriaco reached base on an error from Mark Ellis. Back-to-back RBI singles made the score 2-1, Padres, but only one run was charged to Fife.
He was removed after 89 pitches, and replaced by Matt Guerrier, who did not make a single out in the seventh ininng. He gave up a lead-off double and a RBI triple before getting pulled. Paco Rodriguez cleaned up for him, but let an inherited runner score, charged to Guerrier.
In the eighth with the score 4-2, Padres, Peter Moylan gave up a two-run homer to Pedro Ciriaco. The bullpen gave up four runs in just two innings pitched, bringing the season ERA for relief pitchers to 4.16, the fourth worst in baseball, on top of their league-leading 16th loss.
A.J. Ellis led off the ninth inning with a solo home run, then Mark Ellis and Jerry Hairston followed with singles giving the Dodgers two runners on with no outs in the 9th in a 6-3 ballgame. Skip Schumaker grounded into a double play, and Yasiel Puig struck out to end the game.
Puig hit his sixth home run of his career on Thursday, but it was also his first game with three strikeouts.
Hanley Ramirez continued his hot streak with a 2-4 night, he is 8-12 the last three games with four runs scored and four RBI.
The Dodgers are now 11 games under .500 at 30-41, and 8.5 out of the NL West. They still have three games left against the Padres in this series and will be sending out Clayton Kershaw to the mound on Friday.
