Justin Upton's Slam, 6 RBIs Lead Shields, Pads Over Dodgers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Justin Upton hit a grand slam and drove in six runs as the San Diego Padres broke loose Sunday, backing unbeaten James Shields in an 11-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Padres had totaled just three runs in losing four straight games.
Upton hit a slam in the first inning before Carlos Frias recorded an out and added a two-run double in the second. The previous night, Upton was ejected for arguing balls and strikes while San Diego was shut out on one hit.
Will Middlebrooks later homered to help stake Shields (6-0) to a 9-0 lead through three.
The All-Star right-hander became the first Padres starter to win his first six decisions since 1985, when Andy Hawkins began 11-0.
New to the Padres this year, hasn't lost in 10 starts. He has given up a major league-most 15 home runs — Alex Guerrero connected in this game — and has a 3.75 ERA.
Shields also went 6-0 over his first 13 starts in 2007 season with Tampa Bay.
Shields allowed three runs in seven innings and struck out seven. He started a four-run burst in the second inning with a leadoff single.
Frias (3-2) was tagged for 10 runs and 12 hits in four-plus innings.
The 25-year-old rookie right-hander put himself in the Dodgers' record book alongside Brad Penny, Tom Candiotti, Chan Ho Park, Carlos Perez and Odalis Perez as the only starting pitchers to give up as many as 10 runs in a start since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Penny was the last one to do it, on May 7, 2008, against the New York Mets.
Frias found himself in a bases-loaded jam after 13 pitches, giving up a leadoff double by Yangervis Solarte and two walks. Upton drove a 2-2 pitch to center field for his 12th homer this season and fourth career slam.
It was the first against the Dodgers since Sept. 14, 2013, when Hunter Pence victimized Stephen Fife en route to a 19-3 Giants victory — the most runs ever scored by an opponent at Dodger Stadium.
The Padres, coming off their sixth shutout loss in a span of 18 games, extended their lead to 8-0 in the second. Upton hit a bases-loaded two-run double inside third base, and Derek Norris followed with a two-run single through a drawn-in infield.
Jimmy Rollins' one-out single in the first was the Dodgers' only hit until they scored three times in the seventh. Guerrero hit his seventh homer.
Another highlight took place before the game began, when Sean O'Brien, aka Dancing Man, threw out the first pitch. The Dodgers invited the Irish national after he made headlines as the victim of cyber-bullying. It was O'Brien's first time at a baseball game.
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