San Diego

Dodgers Defeat Padres 11-8 Behind Home Run Barrage

After three consecutive close games, the Dodgers offense exploded on Saturday scoring 11 runs in a home run barrage that beat the Padres 11-8.

It was a home run barrage at the pitcher friendly Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday. The stadium that is notorious for not allowing home runs, yielded a total of seven on the night.

Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick and Juan Uribe all went deep for the Dodgers who defeated the Padres 11-8 for their second consecutive win.

Wil Myers and Justin Upton hit homers for the Padres, with Upton crushing two separate blasts off Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy.

McCarthy has an affinity for the long ball as he has allowed nine home runs in just four starts this season. Despite an ERA of nearly 6.00, McCarthy moved to 3-0 on the year.

McCarthy allowed six runs on six hits through five innings of work. Every run he allowed came off of a home run.

The Dodgers jumped all over San Diego starter Ian Kennedy in the first inning. Ethier hit a two-run blast into the right field seats and Carl Crawford hit an RBI double four batters later and it was 3-0 after the top half of the first.

"The universe was a little off track there in the first inning," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

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Kennedy (0-1) lasted only 4 1/3 innings allowing eight runs on eight hits surrendering three homers. His record dropped to 0-6 with an ERA over 5.00 against the Dodgers.

Gonzalez hit his seventh home run of the season and sixth against his former club in the second inning when he sent an 85 MPH slider into deep right field for a three-run blast and the Dodgers led 6-3.

"It was a different game," Mattingly continued. "We get three in the first and they got three back, but we answered the next inning with three more and that changed the momentum of the game. That second inning was a huge inning for us."

They would pile on more in the top half of the 5th thanks to consecutive two-run jacks by Howie Kendrick and Juan Uribe in the inning. The Dodgers took a dominant 10-3 lead, but it was only a matter of time before McCarthy let the Padres back in.

"We were able to get some balls to fall today," said Kendrick of the home run medley. "The ones out of the yard you can't predict that stuff. When the ball flies like that here in a park that is normally not a home run park it's an uncharacteristic day, but we'll take it."

McCarthy surrendered yet another home run to Upton in the bottom half of the sixth inning. It was Upton's second homer of the game and his third on the season against McCarthy.

"I've never seen the ball flying out of here like it was tonight," said Upton. "The ball was carrying to right-center and to right field, so like you saw there was an elevated number of runs."

McCarthy's cutter to Upton turned out to be his last pitch of the game as he immediately called for the medical staff and was removed from the game with a right elbow injury.

"It started hurting towards the end of the Rockies game last week," said McCarthy of his elbow. "Today, early on it really started to hurt. My stuff was diminishing and the pain was increasing. I should have probably called it in the second, but I didn't and it was pretty stupid in hindsight."

McCarthy is scheduled for an MRI exam on Monday in Los Angeles to determine if there's any more serious damage to the elbow.

Matt Kemp was ejected from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning for arguing a called third strike that he felt was below the knees.

Ethier was named player of the game going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, falling a triple short of the cycle. Ethier started in right field in place of injured star Yasiel Puig who re-aggravated his left hamstring a night prior.

"It's nice when you have Gonzo standing behind you and they don't want to put another guy on base for him to drive in more runs," said Ethier of his performance in the two-hole. "I try and put good swings on the ball and I just make the most of the opportunity in that situation."

Chris Hatcher was wild in the bottom of the ninth has he had three wild pitches, allowing a run before closing the door on the Padres.

Game Notes:
Kennedy returned to the Padres rotation after injuring his hamstring in his season debut against the San Francisco Giants on April 9th.

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