SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Robin Ventura provided an exciting end to an emotional weekend for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ventura connected for a pinch-hit homer in the 12th inning to give the Dodgers a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
The victory capped a tumultuous weekend for Los Angeles, which
made four trades leading up to baseball's non-waiver deadline. The
Dodgers sent clubhouse leader Paul Lo Duca to Florida as part of a
six-player deal with the Marlins, and acquired pitcher Brad Penny
and center fielder Steve Finley.
"After all that's happened this weekend, this was an important
win for us," Ventura said.
Los Angeles took two of three from San Diego, extending its NL
West lead over the Padres to 3½ games. The Dodgers have won 15 of
20 overall.
"It was just a terrific game to win, especially considering who
we were playing," Los Angeles manager Jim Tracy said.
After the Dodgers dealt some popular players, there were
questions about team chemistry. For one day, Ventura thought the
game took care of all that.
"Right now, it's fine in here after a win like this," Ventura
said. "It's obviously going to take a little while to kind of get
the mood of this team. We'll find out more when we get home."
Finley went 2-for-5 with a double and a run in his Dodgers debut
after being acquired moments before the trade deadline Saturday in
a five-player deal with Arizona. Finley started in center field,
with Milton Bradley moving to right.
Eric Gagne (4-0) pitched three scoreless innings for the win. It
was the first time he pitched more than two innings since he became
the team's closer in 2002. Gagne allowed two hits, struck out two
and walked one.
"It seemed like we did whatever we had to to win that game,"
Gagne said. "The way the game went, it had the feel of a big
game."
Darren Dreifort got three outs for his first save since Sept.
15, 1997, at Colorado. It was the fourth save this season by a Los
Angeles pitcher other than Gagne.
Khalil Greene flied out to the left-field warning track with a
runner on to end it.
Ventura hit a 1-0 pitch from Ricky Stone (1-2) over the
right-center fence with two outs in the 12th. It was Ventura's
second pinch-hit homer this season. He also had a two-run shot July
17 at Arizona.
"It was a really good changeup, but he got it in the wrong
spot," Ventura said. "I just got fortunate."
San Diego lost for only the third time at home in 19 one-run
games.
"The last two games were like playoff games," Bradley said.
"I wouldn't change anything. Despite everything, we still got the
`W.' It would have been a long drive back to LA if we lost."
Phil Nevin, who got the go-ahead hit in San Diego's 3-2 win
Saturday night, said the loss was tough to take.
"There are a lot of games left," Nevin said. "People talk
about trading Lo Duca, but games like that can bring teams
together. Whether that happens remains to be seen. They are very
good and we feel we're better."
Padres reliever Akinori Otsuka escaped a bases-loaded jam in the
eighth when he struck out Jayson Werth.
The Dodgers tied the score 1-all on Shawn Green's RBI single off
reliever Scott Linebrink in the sixth. One-out singles by Finley
and Bradley knocked David Wells from the game. Linebrink came in
and struck out Adrian Beltre before Green grounded a single up the
middle to score Finley.
Nevin put the Padres ahead 1-0 in the fourth with a one-out
single to left that scored Mark Loretta, who singled leading off
the inning and was sacrificed to second.
Bradley's baserunning mistake ran the Dodgers out of a scoring
chance in the first. Bradley walked after Finley's one-out double.
Beltre then hit a long fly ball to the warning track in center
field. As Jay Payton made the catch, Bradley was running hard
around second base toward third and almost passed Finley. Payton
easily doubled Finley off second base to end the inning.
Both starters pitched well. Odalis Perez allowed one run and
four hits in six innings for the Dodgers. Wells lasted 5 1-3
innings, allowing one run and five hits with four strikeouts and
one walk.
Game notes
The last time Gagne pitched more than two innings was Sept.
9, 2001, at St. Louis (2 1-3 innings). ... Finley was booed when he
came to the plate in the first inning. The Padres made a strong
push to trade for Finley, a popular player when he played in San
Diego from 1995-98. ... Los Angeles is 7-1 in extra-inning games.
... The crowd of 44,056 was the largest in Petco Park's first
season, surpassing Saturday night's total of 43,726.