Dodgers Get LeBlanc’ed by Padres Rookie

Rookie pitcher Wade Leblanc and the NL West basement dwelling Padres got one off the Dodgers last night. LeBlanc himself looked pretty strong, giving up only two hits in six innings pitched while the Padres offense got up 2-0 early in the game which turned out to be enough to hand the Dodgers a loss.

Kershaw looked OK overall, but racked up a lot of pitches early, needing 27 to get out of both the first and second innings.

Jim Thome finally got a chance to pinch hit for the Dodgers and managed a single in the 8th inning. The Dodger faithful are clearly glad he’s on board as they gave him a standing “O” as he headed to the plate.

The Padres (60-76) have won four in a row and 8 of their last 10 games after previously losing 8 of 11. Padres skipper Bud Black is clearly focused on racking up as many wins as possible despite not being playoff bound. “Even though we’re not headed toward the playoffs, the other team is playing with high intensity – and we’re going to match that intensity…It’s also important to play in these types of games against teams that are possibly headed to the playoffs, because it gives you the experience.”

Hopefully Dodger stalwart Randy Wolf will change things tonight as the Dodgers hit the field at 7:10 PM.