Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Dodgers 8, Padres 6
The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — Paul Lo Duca's big homer in the third inning gave Los Angeles a badly needed jump-start, and Dave Roberts scored the go-ahead run on third baseman Phil Nevin's second error of the game in the seventh as the Dodgers beat San Diego 8-6 Tuesday night.
It was just the third victory for Los Angeles since the All-Star break.
“When you lose the games the way we had lost them and played them as closely as we did, we just got mired in a funk that we've been forced to dig ourselves out of,” manager Jim Tracy said.
“Obviously we're still in the process of doing that, but I'm just very encouraged by the way we played tonight and the way we won the game tonight.”
Adrian Beltre hit a solo shot and Eric Karros drove in three runs as the Dodgers had their highest-scoring game since the break. They were the first homers in seven games for the Dodgers, whose 3-10 skid has cost them first place in the NL West.
Lo Duca hit a high-arching shot to left field and Ron Gant jumped for it at the fence, but it cleared his glove by several inches to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead with two outs in the third. It was Lo Duca's sixth homer.
On Monday night, Gant made two spectacular plays in left field to preserve a 5-2 win.
“To be honest, I hit a lot more balls better than that and they hadn't gone,” Lo Duca said. “When I hit it, the first thing that went through my mind was, "I missed it again.'
“When I was rounding first, I saw Gant going back. It was a big sigh of relief for me because I'd been struggling.”
Said Padres manager Bruce Bochy: “That was a huge hit for them.”
Even though the Dodgers needed to manufacture two runs without benefit of a hit in the seventh to break a 6-6 tie, Roberts said the key was Lo Duca's homer.
“Pauly's hit was big in the sense that it got us the lead and gave us a little reprieve and got us over that feeling of "here we go' kind of thing. We just kind of built on that and kept having good at-bats and staying after those guys.”
Roberts, the speedy Dodgers leadoff hitter who grew up in northern San Diego County, drew a leadoff walk from Jeremy Fikac (3-6) and stole his 28th base of the season.
“It puts you in a tough spot, especially Roberts with that speed,” Bochy said. “Jeremy had trouble with his command tonight.”
Alex Cora laid down a sacrifice bunt that Nevin fielded, but he threw the ball over the head of Ramon Vazquez covering first, allowing Roberts to score for a 7-6 lead. Three batters later, Karros gave the Dodgers a cushion with a sacrifice fly off Tom Davey.
Giovanni Carrara (6-3) got two outs for the win. Eric Gagne pitched the ninth for his 35th save in 37 chances.
Dodgers right-hander Andy Ashby made his first start at Qualcomm Stadium since he was traded from the Padres to Philadelphia in November 1999. Ashby signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in December 2000.
The Dodgers gave Ashby a 6-2 lead after five innings, but he was pulled with one out in the sixth after allowing the first three of four Padres runs that inning, including two on pinch-hitter Eugene Kingsale's triple.
Jesse Orosco came on and allowed Ron Gant's RBI single to tie it at 6.
Gant, Ryan Klesko and Deivi Cruz each had three hits for the Padres, who stranded 11 runners, at least one in every inning.
Both Dodgers homers came off Padres starter Brett Tomko, who had won 4-1 at Dodger Stadium on Thursday for just his second win in 12 starts.
Beltre's solo homer with two outs in the fourth, his 11th, reached the seats in left-center. In the fifth, Nevin misplayed Lo Duca's high chopper into a two-out double, and two batters later Karros hit a two-run double for a 6-2 lead.
Gant homered to left leading off the two-run second, his ninth. Bubba Trammell followed with a single and eventually scored on Tomko's groundout for a 2-0 lead.
Notes: The Dodgers obtained INF Tyler Houston from the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night for minor league pitchers Ben Diggins and Shane Nance. Houston, 31, was hitting .302 with seven homers and 33 RBIs. Milwaukee also will send the Dodgers a player to be named.
Reds Stories
Brown says Bengals need to win now
NFL Notebook: No. 3 Harrington signs with Lions
Buckeye rookies to face first test
Marshall favored to reclaim MAC title
Morrison gets wild card into Masters tournament
• Return to Reds front page...
Dodgers 8, Padres 6 
