Dodgers score by the bunches, beat Padres 11-1

With the season winding down faster than anyone wants to admit, the Dodgers came into Friday night needing a change in results. Beating up on the Padres would be a good start.

San Diego was unable to scale D. Mountain, the name on the back of Rich Hill’s Players’ Weekend jersey. Hill cruised through six scoreless as the Dodgers put the hurt on Padre pitching, taking an 11-1 victory in the opener.

The Dodgers also gained a game on the Diamondbacks and Rockies who both lost.

Hill was on his game from the start, striking out six batters the first time through the Padre lineup. The lefty didn’t allow a baserunner until Hunter Renfroe’s double to start the fifth.

The 38-year-old would leave after 90 pitches in a blowout, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out eight. It was Hill’s first scoreless start at Dodger Stadium since his first start of the season.

The offense that has been so inconsistent for the Dodgers of late, showed up in full force to score in each of the first six inning.

Seven of the first 11 Dodgers to come to the plate would reach safely in the first two frames. Cody Bellinger, Brian Dozier and Justin Turner drove in runs to give the Dodgers a quick 4-0 lead heading to the third inning.

When the offense gets going for this Dodgers team, watch out. It can really put some numbers on the board.

A Chris Taylor solo shot in the third, followed by a two-run blast for Turner, started to put the game out of reach. And by the time Hill himself knocked in a run with a single in the fifth, the Dodgers had themselves a 9-0 lead.

When Max Muncy drilled a two-run homer coming off the bench to pinch-hit in the seventh, it gave the Dodgers the fourth game in the last three weeks of at least 11 runs. The issue has been that they’ve scored three or less in 11 of those 20 games.

The key would be to even out the blowouts and power outages to string some consistent games together.

Up Next

The Dodgers and Padres do it all again on Saturday night with Clayton Kershaw (6-5, 2.40) and rookie Brett Kennedy (0-2, 8.36).

Friday particulars

Home runs: Taylor (14), Turner (10), Muncy (29)

WP - Rich Hill (6-4): 6 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts

LP - Clayton Richard (7-11): 3 ²⁄₃ IP, 9 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), 2 walks, 3 strikeouts