SAN DIEGO — Andrew Cashner knows how to pitch to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He just doesn’t know how to beat them.
The 27-year-old right-hander allowed the Dodgers one run on four hits over six innings in Sunday night’s season opener at Petco Park. The Padres rallied for a 3-1 win after he was no longer the pitcher of record.
In four starts against the Dodgers, Cashner has a 0.96 earned run average (three earned runs in 28 innings). In 19 career appearances against the Dodgers, Cashner has a 1.35 ERA (six earned runs in 40 innings).
His career won-loss record against the Dodgers: 0-2.
Left fielder Carl Crawford’s RBI single in the fifth inning Sunday snapped Cashner’s scoreless-inning streak at 20 — dating back to last Sept. 16. It was the longest streak by a Padres starting pitcher since Jon Garland went 21 consecutive scoreless innings from Aug. 6-21, 2010.
Cashner has a 0.89 ERA and a .170 opponent’s batting average (30-for-176) in his past seven starts dating back to last Aug. 19 — the best numbers by a major league starter over the time span.
“It is something to build off of,” Cashner said. “It’s definitely nice to get a win. It’s such a tough lineup those guys have. You can’t make a lot of mistakes.”
After an off day, right-hander Ian Kennedy starts for the Padres in game two of the series with the Dodgers. Kennedy owns a 5-4 career record against the Dodgers with a 4.12 ERA in 11 starts.