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Hiroki Kuroda shows the Dodgers how its done in 3-1 victory over Padres

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The Dodgers were supposed to be bombers, an offensive team.

Starting pitching was expected to be their Achilles’ tendon, the great uncertainty.

Only in the second half, it’s gone very much the other way. Hitting dried up like a prune, the pitching almost unexpectedly flourished.

And so it was again, the Dodgers getting eight impressive innings from starter Hiroki Kuroda to help drop the Padres, 3-1, on Thursday night.

The Dodgers had lost six of their last seven games. Their loss Wednesday enabled the Padres to reclaim first olace in the National League West standings.

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But Thursday’s victory by the Dodgers pushed the Padres out of first, a half-game back of the Giants, a 13-0 winner over the Cubs.

Kuroda (11-13) held the Padres to one run on five hits. He struck out four and his only walk was intentional.

The Padres’ only run came in the first inning, when Wil Venable led off with an infield single, stole second and scored on a basehit by Miguel Tejada.

The Padres managed only three more hits the rest of the night. Hong-Chih Kuo pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 10th save.

Kuroda was supported by two runs driven in by Andre Ethier. Rafael Furcal singled off Matt Latos in the first and scored on an Ethier double. The two teamed up again in the third when Furcal singled, stole second and scored on an Ethier single.

The Dodgers’ final run came in the sixth when reliever Ernesto Frieri walked catcher Rod Barajas with the bases loaded.

Latos, the Padres ace, lost his third consecutive game to fall to 14-8.

-- Steve Dilbeck

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