SAN DIEGO — Clayton Kershaw came up big again for the streaking Dodgers, throwing seven strong innings against the first-place San Diego Padres in a 4-1 victory Saturday night that extended Los Angeles’ winning streak to six.
James Loney homered and Russell Martin pushed his hitting streak to 10 games with an RBI single in the fifth for Los Angeles, which has won 11 of 14 and is two games above .500 for the first time this year.
San Diego came into the series with a 3½-game lead atop the NL West, but the two losses, coupled with two straight wins by San Francisco, have cut it to 1½ games. The two-time defending division champion Dodgers are three games back.
Kershaw (3-2) held San Diego to three hits, struck out seven and walked two. The left-hander started the Dodgers’ winning streak last Sunday by beating Colorado 2-0, holding the Rockies to two hits in eight innings while striking out nine.
Kershaw allowed San Diego’s lone run in the first inning after walking leadoff batter Scott Hairston, who scored on Chase Headley’s fielder’s choice.
After Yorvit Torrealba doubled leading off the second, Kershaw didn’t allow another runner to get as far as second base, retiring 12 of his next 13 batters. He allowed only one more hit, a single by Hairston leading off the sixth, and got out of that inning by getting Adrian Gonzalez to ground into a double play.
Jonathan Broxton pitched the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.
Padres right-hander Kevin Correia (4-3) started a week after his younger brother, Trevor, died after falling from a 60-foot cliff while hiking on Santa Cruz Island. Correia went 5 1-3 innings, allowing four runs and five hits while striking out four and walking two.
Correia struck out Manny Ramirez his first two times up, then fielded a sharp one-hopper and threw him out leading off the sixth. Ramirez also struck out against Edward Mujica.
Loney homered into the sandy play area beyond the fence in right-center field — one of the deepest parts of Petco Park — on Correia’s first pitch of the second to tie the game at 1. It was his fourth.
The Dodgers took the lead in the fifth on Jamey Carroll’s RBI single to right and Martin’s RBI single to center. Los Angeles added a run in the sixth when Loney walked with one out and scored on Garret Anderson’s triple over the head of right fielder Oscar Salazar, who slipped on the warning track going for the ball.
NOTES: Dodgers RF Andre Ethier, who leads the majors with a .392 average, was scratched after jamming his right pinkie during batting practice. Ramirez and Loney each moved up a spot in the order and Anderson started in RF and batted fifth. … Correia was reinstated from the bereavement list. To make room, RHP Adam Russell was optioned to Triple-A Portland. … Dodgers manager Joe Torre said there was no news on SS Rafael Furcal, who had been expected to come off the disabled list this weekend. Torre said Furcal won’t be ready to play by Sunday and that he’ll likely need to play at least one more game in the minors on a rehab assignment.
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