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  Monday, Jun. 26 10:10pm ET
Boone's 5 RBI in 2nd lead Padres to victory
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- After a slow start this year, San Diego's Bret Boone has found a groove at the plate.

He drove in five runs -- all in the second inning -- in the Padres' 9-5 victory Monday night over the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boone, who has 26 RBI in June after totaling 21 in the first two months of the season, hit a two-run homer and three-run double during an eight-run outbreak against Orel Hershiser in the second inning.

Orel Hershiser
Orel Hershiser, right, wanted to hide after giving up eight runs in 1 2/3 innings Monday night.

"Innings like that don't come along that often, and you appreciate when it does happen," said Boone, who was hitless in his other two at-bats and is hitting .262.

"I think I was pressing a little bit earlier in the season, but now I'm relaxing my hands. The difference when things aren't going right for you is that you get a good pitch to hit and you foul it off or something.

"When you're going good, you hit it."

Boone got two good pitches to hit in the second inning, when he hit his 13th homer to left his first time up, then lined a sharp double to left-center with the bases loaded as the Padres sent 12 men to the plate.

Boone's big game came three days after he hit three homers and drove in six runs to lead San Diego to a 10-7, 10-inning win at Cincinnati last Friday.

"He's been hitting real well on this road trip, and he's continuing to play well at second base," San Diego manager Bruce Bochy said.

Handing the Dodgers their fifth straight loss -- and also Hershiser his fifth defeat in his last five decisions -- the Padres rocked the right-hander for eight runs on six hits and three walks in just 1 2/3 innings.

"I've had some sad days, but today really tugged at your heartstrings, to see Orel struggle like that," Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. "It was hard on him, but it's been just as hard on me because I think the world of him. He's such a great pitcher and has had such a great career.

"He's something special."

The 41-year-old Hershiser (1-5) was starting on one day's rest, having thrown 27 pitches during a rain-delayed 1 1/3 innings of a 6-1 loss Saturday at St. Louis.

"I struggled tremendously," said Hershiser, who seemed to take what he called "a debacle" more matter-of-factly than Johnson did. "The only pitch I was able to throw for a strike was a four-seam fastball."

The Padres' victory came several hours after they learned that Tony Gwynn will undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his degenerative left knee and could be out as briefly as a month or as long as the rest of the season.

"We'll know more tomorrow," Bochy said., alluding to Gwynn's upcoming surgery.

The 40-year-old Gwynn, an eight-time NL batting champion, has had five operations on the knee.

Brian Meadows (6-5) limited the Dodgers to Todd Hollandsworth's sixth homer, leading off the first; Gary Sheffield's sacrifice fly in the fifth; and Alex Cora's leadoff shot -- his first major league homer -- in the seventh.

Meadows allowed six hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five.

Kevin Nicholson and Eric Owens added RBI singles in the second, and Ed Sprague chipped in with a sacrifice fly for the other run as San Diego sent 12 men to the plate.

Ryan Klesko had an RBI groundout in the ninth for San Diego's final run.

Shawn Gilbert doubled in two runs in the bottom half, making it 9-5, after Carlos Almanzar walked three straight batters.

Hershiser developed control problems this year and hasn't won in eight starts dating to an 8-1 victory over Cincinnati in the Dodgers' home opener April 14.

He matched a modern major league record, hitting four batters in a 10-3 loss to Houston on April 19. Hershiser did it in just 1 1/3 innings.

In the second inning against Sprague, he threw one pitch five feet over the head of catcher Todd Hundley. Then he bounced a pitch that hit Klesko on the left big toe.

In May, Hershiser volunteered to go to the minors, making three starts before rejoining the Dodgers.

Notes: In addition to Gwynn, the Padres placed RHP Stan Spencer on the 15-day DL with a strained right elbow. They also transferred SS Chris Gomez to the 60-day DL, recalled RHP Will Cunnane from Triple-A Las Vegas, and purchased the contract of Dusty Allen from Las Vegas. ... Padres RHP Brian Tollberg, who made his big league debut last Tuesday, was chosen NL player of the week. He went 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA in two starts last week, at Arizona and Cincinnati. ... The Dodgers activated Hundley, who was out with a strained rib cage, and assigned C Paul LoDuca to Triple-A Albuquerque.
 


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Gwynn opts for surgery, to miss at least 4 weeks


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