Attention: The Los Angeles Dodgers have finally scored a run. You may go back to your regular scheduled reading now.
It took five days and 35 innings, but the Dodgers finally got a run on Friday. Joc Pederson hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and LA's stale offense bunched together two runs and defeated the San Diego Padres 2-1.
It's been almost a week since suddenly the baseball gods switched off the power switch on the Boys in Blue, but thanks to veteran Andre Ethier and rookie Pederson, the Dodgers managed to avoid setting the longest scoreless streak in franchise history.
Pederson sent an 0-2 fastball off Joaquin Benoit into the right field pavilion to break a 1-1 tie and snap the Dodgers longest losing streak of the season at three games.
"We've had runners in scoring position the last few days and no one really came through," Pederson said. "I was just trying to help the team win a game."
Ethier snapped the Dodgers 35 inning scoreless streak in the bottom half of the fifth inning with an RBI double to right field that scored Justin Turner. The 35-innings without scoring a run tied the 1962 Dodgers for the longest stretch in franchise history.
The Padres tied the game in the top of the seventh after a one-out double by Derek Norris. Will Venable singled up to the middle and Norris just barely beat the throw at the plate to tie the score at 1-1.
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Norris has been feasting on Dodgers pitching this season. The newly acquired San Diego catcher is batting .357 against Los Angeles with four doubles, a homer and 5 RBI.
Pederson broke the tie with his game-winning solo shot in the 8th. It was Pederson's team-leading 11th home run of the season, leading all rookies in baseball in that category.
"Dre [Andre Ethier], put us in a good situation when he hit that RBI double and broke our scoreless streak," Pederson continued. "This is way beyond something I did. Zack pitched a great game and we got the win."
Zack Greinke was dominant for the Dodgers once again. Greinke allowed one run on six hits in 7.2 innings pitch but received another no decision for his efforts.
"My last inning wasn't ideal," Greinke said. "But the first seven felt good."
Chris Hatcher (1-0) relieved Greinke with two outs in the 8th inning and made one pitch to end the inning. It was Hatcher's first career win in the major leagues and it took him just one pitch to get it.
Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth to earn his second save of the season.
Andrew Cashner pitched well in his start for San Diego allowing one run (unearned) on five hits over six innings. Cashner is winless against Los Angeles in his last three starts and San Diego has lost three in a row overall.
Game Notes:
Yasmani Grandal left the game in the fifth inning after being hit in the head by the bat of a Padres hitter and then by a foul ball that went off his mask. Grandal is leading the league with a .396 batting average in the month of May.
