Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, right, hits a three-run home run as San Diego Padres catcher Hector Sanchez watches during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in Los Angeles.
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Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, and six relievers combined to shut down Seattle after starter Matt Shoemaker was hit in the head with a line drive. San Diego starter Christian Friedrich was charged with four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Padres: RHP Edwin Jackson (3-5, 6.26 ERA) opens a three-game home series against Boston.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Alexei Ramirez broke up Rich Hill’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning, one of the few dents the Padres were able to make in a dominant outing by the Dodgers left-hander.
At the same time, the Dodgers want to get Kershaw into big league games sooner rather than later just to shake off the rust and prepare for the postseason.
Yangervis Solarte hit a two-run homer in the third and the Padres scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the fifth.
OUR PICK: After cashing last night for bettors, the under is now 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams in Los Angeles. He struck out four and walked three.
Though dominating Class-A hitters Saturday night won’t help Kershaw much come Friday, the act of repeating his violent delivery and letting his pitches fly in the wake of a serious injury helped him overcome a mental hurdle of sorts. Kazuhisa Ishii in April 2002 against Colorado and Pedro Astacio in July 1992 against Philadelphia had 10 each. He threw 34 pitches, so after exiting the game, he went down to the bullpen to throw some more and get his pitch count up to 50.
The Dodgers clinched the season series with the Padres for the sixth straight time. “This was actually the first time they’ve seen me pitch since I signed in 2013″.
Superstar Clayton Kershaw, out since late June with a herniated disc in his back, could return to the Dodgers’ rotation as early as Friday, writes Jim Alexander of the Orange County Register.
“Everytime I’ve played with him or he’s pitched he’s either asked me for a home run, or I’ve told him ‘I will hit a home run, ‘” Puig said of his called shot.
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Kershaw owns an incredible 1.79 ERA and 32.9 strikeout percentage across 16 starts (121 innings) this season. He allowed two runs and three hits, struck out six and walked one over 5 1/3 innings in his 13th and possibly last start of the regular season.
