San Diego @ Los Angeles preview
Dodger Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 13, 2012 ) San Diego 1, LA Dodgers 2
With stints on the DL now behind them, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier look to help the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch a series win as they host the San Diego Padres in the middle game of their three-game set. Kemp and Ethier were activated from the DL prior to Friday's series opener and combined to go 2-for-6 in the 2-1 victory. Kemp, who singled and doubled, had not played since May 30 due to a strained left hamstring. Ethier returned from a strained left oblique that had him sidelined since June 28.
Mark Ellis, who also missed a significant amount of time with a leg injury before recently returning, provided the big blow Friday as he erased a 1-0 deficit in the sixth inning with a two-run homer. The blast helped Los Angeles end its three-game losing streak and extended San Diego's skid to four contests. The Dodgers maintained their one-half game lead over San Francisco in the National League West and improved to 8-2 against the Padres this season.
TV: 9:10 p.m. ET, FSN (San Diego), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Edinson Volquez (5-7, 3.52 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Aaron Harang (6-5, 3.51)
Volquez was fantastic over his last three starts before the All-Star break, going 2-0 while allowing a total of two earned runs with 22 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old settled for a no-decision against Cincinnati on July 5 despite yielding just one run in seven frames and fanning a season-high 10 members of his former team. Volquez is 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA in three outings against Los Angeles this season.
Harang is coming off a victory over Cincinnati on July 4 in which he surrendered one run and three hits over seven innings. The performance snapped the 34-year-old's string of four straight starts without a win. Harang improved to 4-5 lifetime against the Padres, including a magnificent effort at San Diego on May 17 in which he allowed four hits over seven scoreless frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. The top three hitters in the Dodgers' lineup - Jerry Hairston Jr., Ellis and Kemp - had four of the team's six hits Friday.
2. San Diego went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
3. Padres C Yasmani Grandal posted his second straight two-hit performance and fourth in 10 games.