MLB GAME RECAP

Turner’s two-run homer lift Dodgers over Padres

The Sports Xchange

August 22, 2014 at 12:48 am.

Aug 21, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) connects on a 2-run home run in the eighth inning of the game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers won 2-1. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — Justin Turner’s two-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres before a crowd of 39,596 at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.

The Dodgers (72-57) took two of three in the series and beat the Padres (59-67) for the ninth time in their last 13 meetings.

Dodger starter Clayton Kershaw prevailed in a pitchers’ duel with San Diego’s Tyson Ross. Kershaw no-hit the Padres until Ross lined a single to left-center with two outs in the sixth. Until then, Kershaw had retired 12 in a row. The only baserunner he allowed was Padres catcher Rene Rivera, who reached on a walk with one out in the second inning, but was erased when right fielder Rymer Liriano grounded into a double play.

Kershaw (15-3) gave up a run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks in eight innings. He joins Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto, St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright and Milwaukee’s Wily Peralta as the majors’ only 15-game winners.

Closer Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth for his 36th save.

Ross was just as effective as Kershaw before making a mistake to Turner. Ross (11-12) limited Los Angeles to two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in a complete-game effort. Ross has never beaten the Dodgers, going 0-5 in his career and losing all four of his starts this season.

Rivera drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single to left, scoring left fielder Abraham Almonte, who also singled, with one out in the seventh inning off Kershaw for a 1-0 San Diego lead.

Rivera also contributed on the defensive end, throwing out left fielder Carl Crawford in the second inning and second baseman Dee Gordon in the third on stolen base attempts.

Crawford led off the eighth with an infield single before Turner, the Dodgers third baseman, drove an off-speed pitch from Ross into the bleachers in left for a two-run shot and a Dodger lead. It was Turner’s fourth home run of the season.

NOTES: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez remains on schedule to start Sunday when the Dodgers host the New York Mets in the finale of a three-game series. Barring any setbacks, Ramirez will play for the first time since going on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 10 with a right oblique strain. … Padres RHP Joaquin Benoit could be available to pitch Friday when San Diego opens a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Benoit, who has been nursing irritation in his shoulder, hasn’t pitched since working an inning on Aug. 13 against the Colorado Rockies.

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