BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — By the time Yasmani Grandal came to bat, the Los Angeles Dodgers had gone back to a traditional defensive alignment.
No more five-man infield. No more four-man shift.
Grandal singled in the winning run with two outs in the 12th inning and the San Diego Padres beat the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Friday night.
With runners on second and third, one out and a 1-1 count to Abraham Almonte, the Dodgers brought in center fielder Andre Ethier to play first base, with Adrian Gonzalez playing between first and second. Almonte walked to load the bases. The Dodgers then went to a four-man shift against Smith. He grounded to second baseman Dee Gordon, who forced Amarista at home.
Grandal then singled between first and second on a 3-2 pitch from San Diego native Kevin Correia to bring in Yangervis Solarte with the winning run.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “I’ve seen the five-man, but not the four on one side. It was interesting watching the dynamic from the infielders to the Dodgers’ dugout. Come to the ballpark, you might see something new.”
Grandal remembered facing Correia, a San Diego native, earlier this season when he was with Minnesota.
“I knew exactly how he was going to pitch to me,” Grandal said. “I took two good swings that I fouled off that I thought could have ended it there. Obviously I was looking for that certain pitch.”
Correia started Sunday for the Dodgers and then was moved to the bullpen.
“K.C. had to throw him a strike,” Black said. “It was a fastball that started tailing away and Yazi ripped it through the hole. That was a good one.”
Amarista started the winning rally with a single to left off San Diego native Kevin Correia (2-2). Yangervis Solarte walked with one out and both runners advanced on a wild pitch.
“We had a chance to get out of the inning,” Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. “You have to throw a strike and he’s got to put a swing on the ball and he found a hole.”
Ellis said the Dodgers had practiced the four-man shift in spring training, “but it’s something you normally don’t experience. … We had really good position right there. It’s always funny when you make plays you’re not used to making. It’s something we rarely get to experience. It kind of caught everybody off guard a little bit.”
Tim Stauffer (5-2) pitched the 12th for the win.
The Dodgers’ Hanley Ramirez hit a tying homer with one out the eighth and also had an RBI double among his three hits. Justin Turner also had three hits for the Dodgers, the sixth time in his last eight games that he’s had multiple hits.
With the homer, Ramirez atoned for a painful baserunning slip-up two innings earlier. He hit a 2-1 pitch from Dale Thayer an estimated 390 feet into the middle deck on the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left-field corner to tie it at 2. It was his 13th.
Ramirez had a misadventure in the sixth, when he hit a leadoff single and slipped and fell while rounding the bag. He limped back to the bag, but Padres manager Bud Black called for a review. Replay showed that Ramirez was tagged out by Yasmani Grandal as he hopped toward the bag.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth before Dee Gordon hit into a force.
San Diego’s Andrew Cashner pitched six strong innings but was left with his 10th straight start without a win since his last victory, April 16 against Colorado.
Cashner struck out eight and walked none while holding the Dodgers to one run and six hits. He was making his second start since returning from his second stint on the disabled list, a two-month stay due to a sore right shoulder.
Dating to June 11, 2013, Cashner has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 consecutive home starts.
Dan Haren also went six innings, allowing two runs, one earned, and five hits. He struck out three and walked one.
Rene Rivera hit a sacrifice fly for San Diego in the second. L.A. tied it on Ramirez’s double in the third before San Diego went ahead on Alexi Amarista’s RBI single in the fourth.
YASIEL PUIG
The Dodgers outfielder didn’t start because manager Don Mattingly thought he seemed frustrated. Plus, Puig was 1 for 11 with four strikeouts against Cashner.
Puig pinch-hit for Haren in the seventh and struck out against Nick Vincent to end the inning.
PADRES HONORS:
The Padres honored new Hall of Famer Greg Maddux before the game. Maddux was with the Padres in 2007-08.
On Saturday night, the Padres will induct Trevor Hoffman into the team’s Hall of Fame. When he retired after the 2010 season, he was the all-time saves leader with 601, 552 of them in 16 seasons with the Padres. He’s currently the Padres’ upper-level pitching coordinator.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: Manager Don Mattingly said LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu will come off the disabled list and start Sunday’s series finale.
Padres: SS Everth Cabrera, on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, is feeling better and getting closer to being activated, manager Bud Black said.
UP NEXT
In the middle game of the series Saturday night, Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (12-8, 2.75) opposes San Diego RHP Ian Kennedy (10-11, 3.75). On June 12, 2013, Kennedy, then with Arizona, was one of six players and coaches ejected after a brawl with the Dodgers. Kennedy hit Yasiel Puig and Greinke with high pitches.
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