LOS ANGELES — Stephen Fife and four other Los Angeles pitchers stifled San Diego and the Dodgers picked up a pair of early home runs to defeat the visiting Padres 2-1 on Monday night at Dodger stadium.
With Chris Capuano still nursing a sore left triceps muscle, Fife was called upon in a hurry after being activated from the disabled list late last week. Fife was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace the injured Carl Crawford and wasted little time getting acclimated with his surroundings.
Fife allowed just five hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings, picking up five strikeouts before a typically shaky Dodgers bullpen picked up the slack. Brandon League pitched a scoreless ninth inning to notch his 12th save.
The game marked the major league debut for Cuban defector Yasiel Puig, who lit up the spring training circuit for the Dodgers, batting better than .500.
Puig lived up to billing on Monday, picking up two hits to pace the Dodgers, along with Scott Van Slyke. Van Slyke went 2-for-3 with a home run and Adrian Gonzalez added a home run.
Everth Cabrera, Jedd Gyorko and Alexi Amarista each had two hits for San Diego, which entered the game winners of four of six.
The Dodgers tagged San Diego starter Eric Stults for two early home runs, but Stults settled down and allowed just one hit over his next three innings.
With two outs in the first inning after a San Diego double play, Adrian Gonzalez knocked his eighth home run. Van Slyke opened the second inning with his fifth home run.
San Diego awakened from its lull in the top of the sixth inning, trimming the lead to one on a Chase Headley RBI single that scored Alexi Amarista and chased Fife.
NOTES: Dodgers OF Carl Crawford (strained left hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Sunday. … San Diego OF Carlos Quentin sat out with general soreness after hitting the outfield wall Sunday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. … Fife got the start for Los Angeles in place of LHP Chris Capuano (triceps). Fife was on the disabled list with shoulder bursitis but was activated and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday. … Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez (left hamstring strain) rejoined the Class A Rancho Cucamonga lineup on his rehab assignment Monday after sitting out Sunday. Ramirez could be activated quickly. … Puig hit .313 with a .982 OPS, eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 40 games for Double-A Chattanooga after batting .517 in spring training with the Dodgers. … Stults has now started four games this year against the Dodgers, his former team.