Dodgers are just what cures Padres, losing 4-2 as San Diego snaps 10-game losing streak

The poor little San Diego Padres. They had lost 10 consecutive games. Had lost any semblance of confidence. Lost all but one game of their division lead.

They were one spooked team. So rattled, if you looked hard, you half expected to see their knees shaking.

Into this valley of fear, stepped the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team so completely mixed up it’s capable of curing what ails any opponent.

The Padres took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning Monday, played nervous and like a team expecting the worst throughout much of the night … and still held on for a 4-2 victory.

The loss left the disappointing Dodgers a .500 club (69-69); it’s the first time they’ve been at the .500 mark since May 12. They fell nine games back of the Padres in National League West.

The Dodgers appeared to have caught a break before the game when Padres ace Mat Latos (13-5, 2.25 earned-run average) came down ill and they had to send out Tim Stauffer as their emergency starter.

Stauffer is a reliever who had appeared in 26 games this season, but started only once on May 9. He was 8-14 with a 5.03 ERA lifetime as a starter.

Yet the Dodgers’ offense right now is such that it can make most any starter can look like a Latos.

Stauffer lasted only four innings, but held the Dodgers to one run on four hits, and left with a 3-1 lead.

The Padres used seven pitchers to pull out the victory. And now Latos is scheduled to pitch Tuesday.

The Dodgers scored their run off Stauffer in the fourth on a James Loney double and Andre Ethier single. It was Ethier’s first RBI in nine games.

The Padres had taken a 1-0 lead against Vicente Padilla when Nick Hundley led off the third with a home run.

After the Dodgers tied it, San Diego came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. Following one-out singles by Adrian Gonzalez and Miguel Tejada, Padilla walked Chase Headley to load the bases.

Padilla was making his first start since Aug. 15, after going on the disabled list with a bulging disk in his neck. The rest of the fourth, however, did nothing for his health.

The Padres drove in two runs without hitting the ball out of the infield. Will Venable hit a bouncer to Loney at first, who fired to second for one. Venable, however, just beat Rafael Furcal’s throw back to first to avoid the double play as Gonzalez scored.

Hundley then drove a pitch in front of the plate that acted liked it ricocheted off concrete. The ball bounced so high in the air, by the time it finally came down into the glove of Furcal, he had no play. Tejada scored and San Diego had its third run.

Padilla (6-5) lasted four innings, allowing his three runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out five.

Scott Podsednik pulled the Dodgers within one with his first home run as a Dodger, a solo shot off Luke Gregerson in the seventh.

The Padres got it back, however, off lost-looking Jonathan Broxton in the bottom of the inning on a double by Aaron Cunningham, a groundout and David Eckstein's sacrifice fly.

Through the first seven innings, the Dodgers left nine men on base.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Padres reliever Tim Stauffer made an emergency start and lasted four inning Monday night. Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel / US Presswire

Comments

[Jorge]

Jonathan broxton is just a joke..... Please stop cheering for this Fat A** when he come out .........

[steve turner]

Well you would think not wanting to be the team the Puds finally beat would be enough incentive but I guess not. What will it take for these Dodgers to wake up. I know it must be hard when the bullpen blows every big game. But baseball is baseball and they are well paid. Give the fans a good show and play hard. Winning will come in time. I just hope they remember we are still the west Champs. We should try to play like Champs.

[Lakeshowinphx]

the dodger's hitters are so pathetic! they never strike out on a good pitch! everything is always in the dirt and they still keep swinging at it. the only thing more pathetic is when broxton comes into the game. thank god for college and pro football. watching them play is way too painful. L.A. better clean house next year!

[skyharbor]

The Dodgers didn't waste anytime establishing themselves in the "spoiler" role Monday night as they spoiled the Giants chance to move into first place.

[west coast ram]

While Broxton is not pitching well, he is hardly in the top five problems that has brought us the 2010 Dodgers.
1. McCourt's lack of funds;
2. Colletti's inability to evaluate big dollar F/A.
3. Having a 41 yr old back up catcher for a starter that had two progressive down years.
4. Starting the season with the Ortiz brothers and a rule 5 draft vying for the fifth starter.
5. Having a manager that make the same moves every game. It's all a formula with him and that has destroyed several relievers. Wade and Troncoso can thank their lost seasons on Torre's mismanagement.

[This is just sad]

these Dodgers are a joke Jorge

[labeldude]

People talk about the players mailing it in, how about JoJo The Clown? What happened to managing to win (and I speak of that in a spoilers sense only) against a contending division rival? Runners at 2nd and 3rd, 2 out and he doesn't hit for Ausmus? He has a whole benchful of bats and two more catchers. Then a couple innings later 2 out, nobody on and he does?

JoJo checked out weeks/months ago and has been mailing it in ever since. I want no more talk of how the players aren't trying unless you include our sleepwalking manager in their with them.

[Gilbert]

If your team is getting a beat down in consecutive games by 20+ runs(brewers), dont worry, here come the doyers. If your team is on a 10 game losing streak in September and you see that the teams morale is down, have no fear, you'll eventually face the doyers!!
That's what the teams accross baseball are saying this year about our boys in blue. the only thing we have to look forward to is the end of the season. James '13' Loney is worthless, he and Kemp can never get a key hit when it matters, oh yeah, why the 13 on loney you ask? Because he's always hitting into the 6-4-3 or 4-6-3 double play(6+4+3=13).we should put up K's for matt kemp like they do for the pitchers when they count how many K's in a game, put them up for kemp on how many times he strikes out in a game, diamond vision should read, "Now batting, CF Matt KKKKemp"
Are the Lakers playing yet? I'm still watching because Vinny is still on the air!
Good Bye Joe, Hello whoever wants the challenge of handling these sensitive ballplayers, wish we had 25 Jamey Carol's on the team! like Vinny says..."Good night everybody!"

[Chumpy Kemp]

one person has brought the Dodgers down with him this season: jonafatso broxton

in no way can a team be expected to play at any competitive level in a consistent manner when they know this wretch will come in and blow it.

[danfromwestlakevillage]

Although it will never happen in this town, the best thing that the Dodgers could do for next year is to blow this squad out, trade off all the underachieving starters and start from scratch with X Paul and a bunch of other promising youngsters.

[Since '58]

Fortunately, I went to a barbecue yesterday and didn't watch any of the game. I did turn it on in the car on my way home, just to get the score. Then I turned on my iPod. Getting tired of beating a dead horse, and the Dodgers are the deadest horse I have ever encountered. But let's all remember that the McCourts are the culpable parties in this nasty state of affairs. Because of the McCourts, Colletti has had little or no money to spend to significantly improve the team. This has been going on since last off season when the team wasn't improved upon. Why do you think we began the season with the Ortizes and Monasterios fighting it out for the fifth spot in the rotation? Is it because Colletti can't evaluate free agents? No, it's because he has no money to spend. The players and manager, despite all protests, are reacting to the lack of support and leadership from the McCourts. But don't worry, none of these players we are complaining about will be re-signed. They will be dumped in the biggest fire sale you've ever seen. The greed and dishonesty of the McCourts will see to it that the Dodgers will be the new Orioles, Pirates and Royals.
Dark seasons ahead.

[16blows]

From the dudgers MLB website - "Ethier has hit .233 with 17 RBIs since the All-Star break, while Kemp has hit .236 with 23 RBIs"

- ' Molly' vs 'Chumpy'...

as bad as the latter guy evinces, it's the former that has been (double entendre) an all-star caliber failure & the most overrated player in MLB...

[Sangroazul]

I think danfromwestlakevillage is on to something. Because this is the most punchless, fight-less, gutless, soul-less bunch of zombies I can remember. It's one thing to give away an at-bat every now and then during the occasional blow-out game (even though that's pretty bad too), but these guys have ZERO pride and aren't even competitive anymore!! How often can your team be down 1-0 or (God forbid) 3-1 in the third or fourth and you honestly think to yourself,"It's over!" And that's where this team is!! This team needs a face. An (butt) kicker who HATES losing (Like Gibson circa '88, or Kobe now) . And if they can't have a player like that, then how about a manager!? Sleepin Joe is NOT the answer!! If the effort were there, and the results weren't, it'd be one thing, but this team looks like they checked out a LONG time ago... SAD

[HI Dodger Fan]

yeah, this team started mailing it in weeks ago. there is no fight in them. it's amazing how complete the transformation has been. it's like they ALL don't care anymore. loney, ethier, kemp and blake have all just stunk it up in the second half. that's half our starting lineup. The catching position has been atrocious all year except for a few bombs by Barajas (probably the only guy who is happy to be here, oh yeah, i guess i'd have to add John Lindsey to that group). And we are not going to win games being carried by podsednik, theriot and carroll. this team is a complete disaster on offense and the pitching, well, the bullpen, has been just awful. broxton has singlehandedly destroyed the mental and moral fiber of this team with his big-game failures. Steve Lyons nailed it when he observed that Broxton seems to be fine in the run-of-the-mill games against the astros or d'backs but in the "big" games, he collapses like a house of cards. he needs to re-group and come back as strictly a set-up guy. this season is over. play the kids and guys that will actually try, aka gibbons, lindsey, carroll, etc.

[John P Bowles]

isn't he phrase a lost-looking Jonathan Broxton a bit redundant. this guy has been a train wreck all year and ineffectivE versus good teams ever since Matt Stairs went yard off of him in theNLCS

[MWP]

All I hoped for in the spring was for a chance for this mediocre team to play better than they looked on paper. Didn't happen, and it's all been so transparent. They needed serious work done, and it never happened. And the team has looked like they knew it too, especially after the all star break. It's been a real adjustment for me, to expect to lose through lack of decent position players, and a laissez-faire attitude by management. I'm surprised the sportswriters in this town aren't "up in arms" over this lousy season. Maybe Selig and the rest of the boys club will be a little more careful, next time they hand off a franchise to a faux billionaire, so it doesn't appear to be malfeasance.