Major League Baseball

Padres down rival Dodgers

Published Apr. 15, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Padres pitcher Eric Stults hit a three-run homer and stuck around long enough to benefit from a two-run seventh inning as San Diego beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-3 Monday night in the first game between the NL West rivals since their wild brawl last week.

There was no visible rancor between the teams on Jackie Robinson Day after Major League Baseball executive vice president Joe Torre called both managers to remind them of the context of the game, the 66th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier with the Dodgers.

Pinch-hitter Jesus Guzman singled while batting for Stults during the decisive rally and scored on a double-play grounder by Yonder Alonso. That came after Paco Rodriguez relieved Ronald Belisario (0-2) with the bases loaded and walked pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia to force in the tiebreaking run after getting ahead 0-2 in the count.

''We'll make sure we keep our composure,'' Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said before the game. ''We're here to win a game. We don't need to lose players.''

Padres manager Bud Black said: ''For us, it's over.''

San Diego slugger Carlos Quentin dropped his appeal Sunday and began serving an eight-game suspension for charging Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke after getting hit by a pitch. Greinke broke his left collarbone in the fight that followed and is expected to miss eight weeks. Quentin will sit out the three-game series - and five more games.

''If he was playing, obviously things are escalated a little bit,'' Mattingly said.

Dodgers infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. was suspended one game for his role in the brawl.

Stults (2-1) allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings, struck out four and walked one. The former Dodgers left-hander hit his first major league homer with two outs in the second off Chad Billingsley.

Huston Street pitched the ninth to earn his second save in just the Padres' third win in 13 games, including two against the Dodgers.

Billingsley gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out three and walked two.

The Dodgers scored runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to tie the game 3-all. Adrian Gonzalez had a ground-rule double, and Carl Crawford and A.J. Ellis hit RBI singles.

The Dodgers had the potential tying runs on second and third with one out in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker hit a comebacker to the mound and Luke Gregerson got the out at first before Alonso made a perfect throw to catcher John Baker for the tag on Ellis, completing the inning-ending double play.

The Padres extended their lead to 6-3 on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Kyle Blanks in the ninth.

Robinson's widow, Rachel, along with the couple's daughter, Sharon, and son, David, were introduced before the game, which drew a sellout crowd of 52,136.

Harrison Ford bounced a ceremonial first pitch to Mattingly. Ford plays Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey, who signed Robinson, in ''42,'' the new movie about the baseball pioneer.

Former NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told the sellout crowd, ''It's time for Dodger baseball.''

Kelley Jakle, the great-granddaughter of Rickey, sang ''God Bless America.''

The stadium was decorated with ''42'' logos on the pitching mound, dugout, near the foul pole and baselines. The bases had special plaques noting Jackie Robinson Day and the date.

NOTES: Black said his daughter, Jamie, lives two blocks from Fenway Park. He couldn't get through to her after the Boston Marathon bombings because cellphone communication was affected, but she later texted him to say she was OK. ... There was a moment of silence for the Boston victims. ... The Dodgers placed RHP Shawn Tolleson on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain, retroactive to April 13, and recalled RHP Josh Wall from Triple-A Albuquerque. Wall had a 2.08 ERA with one save in four appearances for the Isotopes. ... Billingsley (13-9) has more wins against the Padres than any other team in his career.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball