Dodgers Win Over Padres A Walk In The Park

The Dodgers picked up another win on Tuesday, an 8-5 triumph against the Padres, highlighted by the bottom of the second inning, winning for the seventh time in their last eight games. The Dodgers established a new season high for runs in an inning by scoring all their runs in the bottom of the second, and it truly was a crazy eight.

Tim Stauffer walked one in the first inning, but escaped with no damage. In the second inning, however, Stauffer collapsed. Andre Ethier opened the frame with a single, and the good news for Stauffer is that was the final hit he allowed. The bad news is that two of the next three batters walked to load the bases for Hiroki Kuroda.

Kuroda walked to force in a run, his first RBI since August 9, 2008, a span of 185 plate appearances.

Justin Sellers followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0, but Stauffer didn't feel comfortable with only two runners on base so he walked James Loney to reload the bases. Matt Kemp followed with another walk to make it 3-0, then Juan Rivera walked too to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.

The walk to Rivera was the sixth walk of the inning against Stauffer, who walked off the mound muttering about his misfortune. Seven walks, five outs. Little did Stauffer know, it was about to get worse.

Enter Anthony Bass, the rookie reliever, trying to stop the bleeding with two outs and the bases loaded. However, the first pitch Bass threw was deposited over the right field wall by Ethier, a grand slam that doubled the Dodgers' lead to 8-0. It was the first home run by Ethier since July 25, after a span of 120 plate appearances without a tater.

Stauffer is the first starting pitcher to walk seven Dodgers since 2009. The last pitcher to walk seven Dodgers was Oliver Perez, who actually had the last two instances, on July 8, 2009 as a Met (in a win by Perez!) and on June 23, 2006 as a Pirate. But it gets weirder than that for Stauffer. You see, he allowed seven runs on just one hit tonight, only the fifth time that's been done since 1919:

Yes, Ryan Dempster did it twice.

The runs were part of a recent phenomenon for Kuroda, who has now received at least seven runs of support in four straight games, all wins. Kuroda went 15 starts from May 17 to August 8 with a total of 31 runs scored for him. In his last four starts, the Dodgers have scored 32 runs.

Kuroda ran out of gas in the sixth inning. After a single and a double with one out, Kyle Blanks launched a three-run home run to put the Padres on the board, and was followed by a solo shot from old friend Orlando Hudson to cut the Dodgers' lead in half. Kuroda did give up another single but was able to finish the sixth without further damage, ending his night.

Matt Guerrier allowed a run in the seventh inning, but the Padres were never able to pull closer than within three runs.

Notes

• The 12 walks received by the Dodgers tonight set a new season high for the offense.
• The Dodgers, now at 520 runs scored and 518 runs allowed, have a positive run differential for the first time since April 1, after the second game of the season.
• Ethier had three hits for the second straight night, and is 6-for-8 with a double and a home run since the T.J. Simers column in Sunday's LA Times.
• Kuroda also had a single, reaching base twice for the fourth time in his career, and the first time since July 25, 2009.
• Kemp reached base all five times tonight with a single and four walks, the first three unintentional. It was the first four-walk game of Kemp's career. Kemp's unintentional walk totals since 2008: 40, 46, 49, 45.
• Loney went 0-for-4 (but with a walk, naturally) to snap his hitting streak at eight games. His RBI streak of six games was also snapped.
• Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless eighth inning, his third straight scoreless appearance since his return from the disabled list, and his 17th consecutive scoreless appearance dating back to June 18. In Jansen's last 19 major league innings, he has allowed three hits, nine walks, and no runs, with 29 strikeouts. In fact, per Joe Block of KABC, Jansen has not allowed a hit in his last nine innings.
• Jamey Carroll was claimed on waivers by multiple teams, per Tony Jackson of ESPN LA. There has as of yet been no news as to which team was awarded the claim, but the deadline for Carroll, or anyone, to be traded and be eligible for the postseason with their new team is Wednesday at 9 p.m. PDT.
• Ted Lilly pitches Wednesday afternoon as the Dodgers go for a sweep, facing Wade LeBlanc for San Diego.

WP - Hiroki Kuroda (11-14): 6 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

LP - Tim Stauffer (8-11): 1 2/3 IP, 1 hit, 7 runs, 7 walks, 2 strikeouts

Sv - Javy Guerra (12): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout

Box Score