San Diego, CA – Will Venable hit a solo home run and three- run triple as the San Diego Padres took a 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in their home opener.
Nick Hundley hit a solo home run while Yonder Alonso, Jedd Gyorko, Mark Kotsay and Chris Denorfia all drove in a run for the Padres, who had lost five of six on the road to start the season.
Clayton Richard pitched five innings in the start and gave up two runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Luke Gregerson (1-0) got the final out of the seventh inning to get the win.
"When our offense plays like it did tonight it's contagious," said Richard. "Everyone feeds off of it and tonight showed what we can do when everything is clicking for us."
Juan Uribe hit a two-run home run while Adrian Gonzalez added two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Dodgers, who came into this game off a three-game sweep of the Pirates.
"I think the pressure comes from wanting to win and nothing else," said Gonzalez. "I think we all want to help the team out and in that sometimes you press a little too much."
Josh Beckett was touched for three runs on six hits over five innings in the start while Ronald Belisario (0-1) was handed the loss after giving up a run in the seventh inning.
The Padres struck on their second batter as Venable clubbed a pitch over the wall in right. Alonso then doubled with two outs and Gyorko plated him with a single for a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.
Los Angeles, which left a man on third in the second, tied the game in the fourth as Gonzalez singled to start the frame and Uribe hit a 1-0 pitch just over the wall in right for his first home run of the season.
Hundley began the fifth with a blast deep over the left field wall for his first of the season and a 3-2 lead.
The Dodgers answered in the seventh to again tie the game. Carl Crawford led off with a single and moved to second, then third on consecutive groundouts. Joe Thatcher then took over on the mound and Gonzalez greeted him with a single to left for a 3-3 contest.
San Diego, though, got the run back in the bottom of the seventh. With Belisario on the mound, Cameron Maybin beat out an infield single and moved to second on a sac bunt from Hundley. Kotsay then dropped a pinch-hit double into center for a 4-3 lead.
Dale Thayer worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and the Padres put the game away in the bottom of the eighth.
Denorfia's RBI single plated Alexi Amarista and Everth Cabrera walked to load the bases. J.P. Howell then took the mound and Venable greeted him with a triple to center to clear the bases. Alonso later singled in Venable for a 9-3 advantage.
Game Notes
Los Angeles won 11 of the 18 games against San Diego last season ... San Diego stranded nine, but hit 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position ... Los Angeles went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base ... Chad Billingsley starts for Los Angeles on Wednesday and he will be opposed by Eric Stults for San Diego.
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