SAN DIEGO _ There was an appreciable buzz humming through Petco Park with the Los Angeles Dodgers in town Friday night, a vibrant vibe absent for much of the last decade while the tenants plodded in mediocrity and worse. Hope and excitement finally exist for the San Diego Padres again.
They splashed in the offseason and landed Manny Machado. Their bevy of top-flight prospects is surfacing to infuse the club with talent. Friday's sellout crowd _ the Padres' first in 2019 _ and the anticipated sellouts for the remainder of the three-game series between the neighbors are a reflection of those unfamiliar sensations.
The first-place Dodgers arrived determined to snuff that fuss, if temporarily, and remind the upstarts they're poised to continue their reign in the National League West. They succeeded Friday, coming from behind to claim a 4-3 win in the clubs' first meeting this season.
The Dodgers (21-13) seized their first lead of the game in the ninth inning, which began with Austin Barnes, who tied the score with a home run in the seventh, cracking a leadoff double off Padres closer Kirby Yates. Two batters later, Max Muncy laced a groundball down the first-base line.
Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer got his glove on the ball with a dive, but it squirted away, allowing Barnes to score from second base. It was the second run Yates has allowed in 17 innings this season.
Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw labored out of the gate in his fourth start, needing 69 pitches to push through his first four innings before dialing up over his final two.
And still, he limited the Padres to three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out six. He reached 2,300 career strikeouts along the way with his punchout of Franmil Reyes in the fifth inning.
The Padres (18-15) didn't have trouble generating hard contact against him early. After Reyes lined a single, Machado launched a pitch 437 feet to the second deck beyond the left field wall in his first at-bat against his former team.
Two innings later, Ian Kinsler slugged a leadoff home run.
The Dodgers were then bludgeoned with two scares a few minutes apart. First, Hunter Renfroe cracked a line drive that ricocheted off Kershaw's arm in the bottom of the third. The ball bounced to shortstop Corey Seager, who threw Renfroe out to end the inning.
Kershaw walked off without any sign of trouble and remained in the game.
The second stomach-churning moment developed when Hosmer led off the fourth with a groundball through the right side, past a diving Cody Bellinger at first base. Bellinger was then slow to get up, favoring his right shoulder and wincing in pain. The reaction prompted a visit from manager Dave Roberts and a trainer. Bellinger insisted he was fine and convinced them. He stayed in.
Among the reasons the Dodgers signed A.J. Pollock over the winter was to provide a potent right-handed hitter and help counter the team's left-handedness. He was to balance the lineup while manning center field every day. But he underwent surgery on his right elbow Thursday and the Dodgers say he is out for an undetermined period of time.
Before the game, Roberts maintained he was "not too concerned" about Pollock's absence possibly leaving the team vulnerable against left-handed pitching.
But Friday offered an example of the potential detrimental aftereffect. Without the right-handed-hitting David Freese available to start after hurting his ankle Tuesday, the Dodgers had five left-handed batters in the starting lineup against left-hander Eric Lauer.
The list included Joc Pederson, a left-handed hitter the Dodgers have platooned to have him avoid facing left-handed pitchers. Pederson entered the night 2 for 13 against southpaws this season.
For four innings, Lauer capitalized on the undesirable configuration. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced. His only blemish was a leadoff walk to Corey Seager in the second inning.
He was through four innings on 46 pitches before the Dodgers finally broke through with Chris Taylor's leadoff home run in the fifth. Lauer's gas tank then quickly emptied. He exited in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded, no outs, and Seager looming.
Brad Wieck, another left-hander, replaced Lauer and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Seager that cut the Padres' lead to one. It was the only run Wieck allowed in the jame. From there, Taylor struck out and Alex Verdugo grounded out to douse the threat.
But Wieck erred in the seventh, leaving a slider over the plate to Barnes, who slashed it over the wall to tie the game and rebound from strikeouts in his first two plate appearances.
