Dodgers try to go deep with Scott Kazmir vs. Padres

The Dodgers hope for some innings out of starting pitcher Scott Kazmir on Friday night against the Padres after nearly a week of short outings. But the drought has lasted longer than that.

No Dodgers pitcher has lasted seven innings in a start since Clayton Kershaw on June 20. The club has played 16 games since then, including one start by Kershaw before he went on the DL. It's the longest streak of games without a seven-inning start by the Dodgers since a 16-game streak from Sept. 20, 2009 to Apr. 8, 2010, encompassing the final 13 regular season games in 2009 and the first three games in 2010.

The Dodgers are 9-7 in those games, but have lost the last three.

Kazmir was the last Dodgers starter other than Kershaw to pitch seven innings, and that was on May 14. In the 43 non-Kershaw starts since then, Dodgers starting pitchers have averaged 5.06 innings per start.

The Dodgers don't necessarily need seven innings from their starters. Six innings would do quite nicely, which is something they haven't done since Kazmir's last start, on Saturday against Colorado. Dodgers starters over the last five games have pitched 22 total innings, topping out at five innings.

Kazmir has lasted 11⅔ innings in his two starts against San Diego this season, six scoreless innings on April 5, and 5⅔ innings, allowing five runs on May 20.

Game info

Time: 7:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA