Padres score 4 in 9th to beat Dodgers 7-3
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Wil Myers' first hit for the San Diego Padres was an important one, even though it might have been overshadowed a bit in a four-run ninth inning.
Myers' tiebreaking single sent the Padres to a rain-delayed 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.
"I was pressing a little bit, just wanting to get that first hit of the season, and it was good to be able to come through in a big situation like that," said Myers, acquired from Tampa Bay last winter. "Hopefully a lot more will come after that."
Clint Barmes, who entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh, led off the ninth against Chris Hatcher (0-1) with his second single. Barmes went to third when catcher Yasmani Grandal overran a sacrifice bunt to the right of the plate by pinch-hitter Cory Spangenberg that had a lot of backspin on it, and hit him in the back with his throw to first.
Myers grounded the next pitch to right field to put San Diego ahead. Derek Norris followed with a two-run double, and Will Middlebrooks capped the rally with an RBI single.
"We've got guys all the way through the order who can swing and drive the ball, and you can change a game really quick," Barmes said.
Joaquin Benoit (1-0) got the victory after giving up the tying run on an eighth-inning homer by Adrian Gonzalez -- his second in two days. The right-hander was slated to be the Padres' closer until he was bumped to a setup role with the acquisition of four-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel in a trade with Atlanta on Sunday.
Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth in his Padres debut.
"The jersey might have changed, but the object and the goal I have on the field is still the same," Kimbrel said. "It was good to get that first one out of the way."
Kimbrel's new teammates have welcomed him with open arms.
"I think it's safe to say before he ever took the mound that we were all pretty excited that he joined us," Barmes said. "And getting the opportunity to see him out there tonight was exciting. Everybody knows what he's capable of doing, and having him to come in and finish games is huge. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch him work."
Norris led off the eighth with a single against Yimi Garcia and scored on a single by Yonder Alonso against J.P. Howell -- his third hit of the game -- to give San Diego a 3-2 lead.
After the start was delayed 30 minutes by rain, Tyson Ross was charged with two runs and six hits through six innings.
The Padres' right-hander, who made the All-Star team last year in his first full big league season, was lifted for a pinch hitter with a 2-1 deficit. But his teammates got him off the hook with the help of four-time All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins' second fielding error of the game.
With two outs and runners at first and second, Rollins retreated into short left-center on a popup by pinch-hitter Yangervis Solarte and misplayed the ball, allowing Alonso to score from second.
Rollins, whose tiebreaking, three-run homer in the eighth inning Monday helped the Dodgers win their season opener 6-3, also booted a routine grounder in the third.
Rollins was thrown out trying to stretch a double to right-center in the bottom half.
Los Angeles starter Zack Greinke retired 16 of his final 18 batters. He needed 26 pitches to get out of the first, but gave up only a run and two hits in six innings.
"I wanted to go deeper into the game, but after the first two innings I didn't even know if I was going to get to five innings. I got a little better after that," Greinke said. "It was just good command, mainly."
DRY TOWN
The rain delay was rare at Chavez Ravine. The most recent Dodger Stadium rainout was April 17, 2000, when the Houston Astros were in town. There have been 17 of them since the ballpark opened in 1962, and the Padres were the visiting team most often -- six times.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: Injured closer Kenley Jansen played catch in the outfield before batting practice, but is not expected back until mid-May at the earliest while recovering from surgery on his left foot.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Andrew Cashner, the team's opening-day starter last season, pitches Wednesday night in the series finale.
Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy, beginning his 10th big league campaign, gave up a career-worst 25 home runs last season with the Diamondbacks and Yankees.