Thirty-eight miles away, Clayton Kershaw was looking dominant in his first minor league rehab start.
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Jose De Leon struck out nine while winning his major league debut, Yasmani Grandal and Yasiel Puig homered, and Los Angeles increased its lead to three games over the Giants, who lost to the Cubs.
Grandal hit a two-run homer with two outs in the seventh, scoring Puig, who walked, and extending the Dodgers’ lead to 7-4.
“Clayton texted me a couple of times and told me he’s excited”, Roberts said Sunday.
He was talking about Hill, but he could have said the same about Kershaw. He struck out just two batters while walking four in the process. The left-hander threw 23 pitches and finished with another 11 in the bullpen. It will be Kershaw’s first big-league action since June 26 in Pittsburgh.
Puig hit his first homer since being recalled Friday from Triple-A Oklahoma City in the bottom of the third inning, when he propelled LHP Christian Friedrich’s 88 miles per hour fastball into the Dodgers’ bullpen down the left-field line for a three-run drive, his eighth homer of the season. The left-hander had pitched in relief last week after losing eight straight as a starter. He still couldn’t pitch the Padres to a victory. “He’s attacking, and you can feel that on the other side”.
ANGELS: Pitcher Matt Shoemaker left Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners after being hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Kyle Seager. We really don’t match up well with that pitch.
Solarte gave the Padres took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. “Those types of things are nearly unfair at times”.
Padres (56-80): San Diego returns to the friendly confines of Petco Park where they will host the Boston Red Sox starting on Monday.
Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 41st save. The #2 prospect in L.A.’s system gave up four runs on six hits in 6.0 innings.
Kershaw, who prides himself on pitching deep into games, knows he won’t be able to throw complete games in his first few starts back. He came into the game owning a 60 per cent ground-ball rate, tops in the National League among pitchers with at least 100 innings.
Jose De Leon won his first career start and outfielder Yasiel Puig hit a three-run home run and also had a key walk in a two-run rally.
The Dodgers will start a three-game series on Monday as they host the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Padres scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the fifth.
Padres: RHP Tyson Ross played long toss in a pregame workout.
Dodgers: X-rays on the index and middle fingers of LHP Julio Urias’ left hand were negative.
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Kershaw does grudgingly accept that he will not be ready to go nine innings on Friday, though Roberts would not say what limits might be imposed on his ace. The 24-year-old Puerto Rican, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, had 19 friends and family members in attendance.
