Major League Baseball
Dodgers hit 5 HRs in 8-4 win over Padres
Major League Baseball

Dodgers hit 5 HRs in 8-4 win over Padres

Published Sep. 5, 2015 1:54 a.m. ET

SAN DIEGO (AP) Somehow, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly still seems surprised at his team's power.

Justin Ruggiano and Adrian Gonzalez hit two-run homers and Chase Utley added a solo blast in a five-run sixth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers hit five homers in an 8-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Carl Crawford and rookie Scott Schebler added solo home runs as the Dodgers increased their NL West lead to a season-high 7 1-2 games over San Francisco, which lost 2-1 at Colorado.

Los Angeles, which has won nine of 11, leads the NL with 162 home runs.

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''We kind of said we weren't a home run hitting club and we continue to hit them,'' Mattingly said.

Mike Bolsinger (6-3), who spent August with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowed just two hits in five innings, but they were both home runs. Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer in the first and Jedd Gyorko had a solo home run in the third.

Bolsinger struck out six and walked two in his first start since July 29.

Mattingly implied before the game that this was an audition of sorts for Bolsinger in light of the troubles that Mat Latos has had since he came over in a trade from Miami.

''Whatever they want me to do, I will do it,'' Bolsinger said.

Padres pinch-hitter Brett Wallace hit a solo homer in the eighth as the teams tied the Petco Park record for combined home runs in one game with eight.

Marcos Mateo (1-1), who faced two batters to start the sixth inning, took the loss.

Dodgers rookie Corey Seager followed his successful major league debut with two more hits and an RBI. Seager had two hits and two RBIs in his first game on Thursday night.

In the sixth, San Diego interim manager Pat Murphy countered left-handed pinch-hitter Andre Ethier with southpaw Marc Rzepczynski. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly called back Ethier for the recently acquired Ruggiano, who hammered Rzepczynski's second pitch over the center field wall to give the Dodgers a 5-3 lead.

Jimmy Rollins singled, and after a strikeout, Gonzalez connected off Rzepczynski for his 26th home run. Utley then homered off John Edwards to right to push the lead to 8-3.

''It's easy to point to right now when you have your sixth- and seventh-inning guys out with injuries,'' Murphy said. ''It's hard to replace.''

San Diego starter James Shields struggled to get through five innings. The right-hander allowed just three hits, but walked a season-high six batters and constantly had to pitch out of trouble.

GONZO VS. PADRES

Gonzalez, the San Diego native, continues to hit well against his former team. Gonzalez is hitting .345 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs against the Padres in 14 games.

KEMP BY THE NUMBERS

Kemp hit his 200th career homer in the first inning. He also extended his career-high on-base streak to 24 games.

Dodgers: Mattingly said it may be difficult for RF Yasiel Puig (strained right hamstring) to return before the end of the regular season.

Padres: Wil Myers (left wrist tendinitis), who missed 98 games this season, was activated off the DL and started at 1B. ... RHP Brandon Maurer (right shoulder inflammation) suffered a setback in his rehabilitation and has stopped throwing.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Alex Wood (9-9, 3.67 ERA) goes against the Padres. He has pitched much better on the road this season, going 6-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 17 starts compared to 3-4 and 4.67 ERA in nine home starts.

Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (10-9, 3.27) is coming off one of his best starts of the season, a seven-inning, three-hit outing in a 7-0 win over Texas.

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