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Wells ensures Dodgers creep closer in wild card

Maddux loses matchup of 40-something pitchers, L.A. now just 1½ back

Image: WellsAP
Dodgers pitcher David Wells throws against the Padres. Wells won his eighth game of the season on Thursday.

Loney tore up the Padres in the series, going 9-for-13 with eight RBIs, raising his batting average to .329. The 23-year-old rookie has five of his 11 homers and 12 of his 52 RBIs in his last seven games. He has played in 80 games this season.

“I’m having fun right now,” he said. “I don’t put too much pressure on myself. They put me in there to produce.”

Said Maddux: “I knew he was good, I played with him last year. He’s not sneaking up on anybody.”

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the first on Loney’s one-out RBI double. Jeff Kent followed with an infield hit that glanced off Maddux to put runners at first and third, but Maddux speared Luis Gonzalez’s hot shot up the middle and started an inning-ending double play.

The Dodgers made it 4-0 in the fourth, scoring on a two-run single by Loney and an RBI single by Gonzalez before Kent tried to score from third on Russell Martin’s fly to center and was thrown out by Mike Cameron for another inning-ending double play.

Maddux was relieved by Kevin Cameron after Wells’ second hit of the game, putting runners at the corners with one out in the fourth. Rafael Furcal’s squeeze bunt made it 5-0, and Loney hit a run-scoring single later in the inning.

Josh Bard singled to start the San Diego sixth and pinch-hitter Morgan Ensberg followed with his 12th homer. Mike Cameron hit his 20th homer two outs later to complete the scoring.

Notes: Furcal scored three runs and had three stolen bases. ... San Diego’s Kevin Kouzmanoff reached base safely in his 10th consecutive at-bat with a second-inning single before grounding to third in the fifth. He had eight hits and two walks during the streak, with the eight consecutive hits tying a franchise record. ... Wells doubled in the third and singled in the fourth, giving him 22 hits in 172 lifetime at-bats (.128). He has 20 singles and two doubles. ... Maddux and Wells matched up for just the second time — their previous meeting was last Sept. 15, when Maddux and the Dodgers beat Wells and the Padres 3-1.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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