Kershaw Bests Richard In Battle Of The Clayton’s

The Padres opened the unoffical start of the second half with a battle against one of baseball’s best pitchers. The Padres put together good at-bats, but ultimately were beaten by the Dodgers 2-1, in Los Angeles.

San Diego got on the board first, scoring their only run of the game in the second inning. Yasmani Grandal opened the inning with a double, and went to third on a grounder by Cameron Maybin. Everth Cabrera drove in the run with an RBI ground out.

Kershaw did not exactly baffle the Padres, as they had a runner on in every inning. The Padres were brutal once again with runners in scoring position, as they went 0-12 in RBI situations, and they left 10 men on base. Kershaw got the win, throwing 110 innings in six innings of work.

July 13, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard (33) during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

The other Clayton, Clayton Richard pitched well again for the Pad-Squad, as he gave up just two runs in 7.1 innings of work. The only runs against him came courtesy of a two-run shot by Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis. The blast made a hard-luck loser out of Richard, as his record dropped to 6-10.

Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp returned to the lineup for the Blue-Crew, and went 2-4 in his return. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth for his 16th save. The series continues tomorrow, as Edinson Volquez takes the hill for the Padres.

Notable: Yasmani Grandal: 2-4, Logan Forsythe 2-5.