Dodgers Gain Home Field Advantage With Win Over Padres
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Corey Seager's two-run single highlighted a five-run third inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 6-2 Friday night to take a half-game lead over the Mets for home-field advantage in their upcoming playoff series.
The Dodgers improved to 90-70 — their third straight season with as many wins — after the Mets (89-70) got rained out earlier. New York, however, holds the tiebreaker because it won the season series. The teams will meet in the NL Division Series starting next Friday.
Dodgers starter Alex Wood (12-12) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked one.
Casey Kelly (0-2) gave up six runs — three earned — and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings in his second start of the season after missing most of the last two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.
The Dodgers broke open the game in the third when Kelly gave up three straight one-out singles. Adrian Gonzalez's RBI single scored their first run and Justin Turner followed with a grounder for another run.
Seager's two-run single made it 4-0 and A.J. Ellis' RBI single completed the burst.
Turner's RBI single in the fifth extended the Dodgers' lead to 6-0.
San Diego scored twice in the seventh on Alexi Amarista's groundout and Cody Decker's sacrifice fly.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: OF Justin Upton, who has a neck strain, isn't able to swing a bat, so he would be limited to pinch running or playing his position for a couple of innings in the last two games.
Dodgers: OF Yasiel Puig, on the DL with a strained right hamstring, will rejoin the team this weekend after running and playing in the field the last two days in Arizona.
UP NEXT
Padres: Robbie Erlin (1-1, 6.30 ERA) gave up four runs and four hits in 1 2-3 innings of last weekend's loss to San Francisco.
Dodgers: Zack Greinke (18-3, 1.68) has won his last seven home starts with a 1.07 ERA in that span, and continues to lead the majors in ERA. He is 5-1 with a 1.61 ERA in 11 career starts against the Padres.
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