Dodgers 11, Padres 8: Strange things are afoot at Petco Park

It was a dark and stormy night. There was rain, but not the kind that washes the grime from the streets or the Dodger fans, but the kind that dampens them just enough for them to reek more than usual. What was really different was the wind. It ripped through San Diego like a banshee, sending refuse and baseballs flying across the town. This was a night that could bring with it nothing but grim tidings. At the center of that was Ian Kennedy, a man who had been hurt, and was destined to be hurt again.

Trouble hounded Kennedy from the moment he returned to his office atop Petco Park's mound. Jimmy Rollins touched him for a single to start the evening, and then Andre Ethier strolled up to the plate. He had the ginger's number sending a towering home run into the right field seats, putting the scoundrels from the north up 2-0. San Diego expats Adrian Gonzalez and Yasmani Grandal didn't let up on the assault, hitting a double and a single to put a couple dirty ducks on the pond for Carl Crawford. Crawford hit another double to score Gonzalez, but Grandal would be gunned down at the plate. The inning mercifully ended with the Dodgers on top, 3-0.

A man like Ian Kennedy has friends, though, and those friends came out to avenge him. Wil Myers sent Brandon McCarthy's first pitch into the home bullpen, and Matt Kemp singled shortly thereafter. That set up Justin Upton for some early heroics, as he launched his shot toward the right field wall. Ethier got a glove on it, but couldn't keep it from rolling over the top of the fence. At 3-3, Kennedy had another shot.

But history, even recent history, repeats itself. Kennedy lost control, beaning Joc Pederson and walking Andre Ethier, bringing Adrian Gonzalez back into the picture. The troublesome former Friar hit the fourth home run of the night, putting another baseball into the windswept right field seats. It didn't end at 6-3, though. In the fifth inning, Kennedy got hammered by Howie Kendrick, who sent one to dead center, leaving Wil Myers stymied at the warning track. Chris Rearick took over down 8-3, and left the game down 10-3 courtesy of Juan Uribe's two-run blast.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Padres got back in the game. Yangervis Solarte and Matt Kemp singled back to back, and Upton took a trip to the beach. Specifically, the beach in right center field. Down 10-6, Yonder Alonso tripled to center. A ground out brought him home, bringing the team within 3 at 10-7.

In the bottom of the seventh, Matt Kemp took issue with home plate umpire Marty Foster calling him out on strikes. And, well, he had a point.

In fact, Foster was calling low strikes all game. Regardless, Kemp fought the law and the law won.

The Dodgers went up 11-7 in the eighth, courtesy of a walk and a couple singles. Alexi Amarista drew a leadoff walk and made his way around the bases on a couple wild pitches and a dropped third strike to make it 11-8, but it just wasn't enough.

Brandon Morrow will try to avoid the sweep at 1:10 PM tomorrow.

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