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  Wednesday, Jun. 28 10:05pm ET
Leyritz drives in L.A.'s winning run
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jim Leyritz was starting to feel like a jinx when the Los Angeles Dodgers went on a season-high five-game losing streak shortly after acquiring him from the defending World Series champion New York Yankees.

"I kept telling the guys, 'Maybe it's me.' And they were ragging on me a little bit, too," Leyritz said after singling home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory Wednesday night over the San Diego Padres. "It was great for me to be able to contribute."

Reliever Steve Montgomery (0-1) walked Chad Kreuter with one out in the ninth and gave up a single to Alex Cora. Left-hander Kevin Walker came in to face switch-hitter Todd Hundley, batting for reliever Terry Adams, and retired him on a fly to center.

But Leyritz, hitting for Hollandsworth, drove a 1-2 pitch into the left-field corner for the game-winning RBI _ and his first hit since joining the Dodgers in a June 20 trade that sent Jose Vizcaino to New York.

"He's a guy who likes pressure situations and he thrives in the spotlight," Dodgers pitcher Kevin Brown said of his former Padres batterymate, who has hit eight postseason home runs for the Yankees and Padres.

"He's not scared or intimidated by them. He goes out there, knows what his job is and does a good job contributing, from that standpoint. He thrives in the spotlight," Brown said.

Montgomery, making his season debut after spending 13½ weeks on the disabled list because of a strained right shoulder, became the 42nd player used by the Padres this season -- one more than last year.

"It was challenging, mentally," Montgomery said. "It's been so long since I've been in a competitive big league game, it's weird. I mean, I had some adrenaline, but not as much as I'm used to having.

"I'm not happy about getting the loss, but I'm happy that I'm healthy and that I was out there in that situation. That's where I want to be. I don't want to be pitching in blowout games."

Adams (3-3) earned the victory, retiring all six batters he faced and not allowing a ball out of the infield.

Todd Hollandsworth and Eric Karros hit two-run homers against Adam Eaton, who was charged with four runs and five hits in seven innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked four en route to his fifth straight no-decision.

Making his sixth major league start and facing the Dodgers for the first time, Eaton retired all three batters in the first inning on grounders and all three in the second on strikeouts. But Los Angeles tied it at 2 in the third on Hollandsworth's seventh homer, then took a 4-2 lead the lead in the fourth on a walk and Karros' 23rd home run.

Al Martin singled and scored on Bret Boone's foul sacrifice fly in the fifth. The Padres tied it at 4 in the sixth when Chan Ho Park nicked Eaton with a 1-0 pitch, walked Eric Owens and gave up a single to center by Martin.

Park, trying to become the NL's third 10-game winner, settled instead for his second straight no-decision after winning his previous five starts. The right-hander allowed four runs, six hits and six walks in seven innings while striking out eight.

For the second night in a row, the Padres gave their starting pitcher with a lead before he made his first delivery. Phil Nevin, who leads San Diego with 57 RBIs, lined a two-run single through the box after Owens led off with a single and Ryan Klesko doubled off the first base bag with one out. Nevin's hit was the last by the Padres until Martin's leadoff hit in the fifth.

Game notes
It was the fifth time in 17 starts this season that Park walked at least six batters. ... Switch-hitter Kevin Nicholson, who struck out only once in his first 15 at-bats since being promoted Friday, fanned all four times up. ... Karros, who played high school ball in San Diego, has hit 21 homers against the Padres. The only team he has homered against more often is Colorado. ... Eaton, who has pitched into the sixth inning in all six starts, gave up more than three earned runs for the first time. ... Owens is hitting .333 in 41 games since May 10, when manager Bruce Bochy inserted him into the leadoff spot.
 


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