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Kemp, Furcal homer, Dodgers beat Giants 8-2

Jun 30, 2010 - 11:50 PM SAN FRANCISCO(AP) -- A couple of days off put Matt Kemp in a good frame of mind.

Kemp homered and drove in three runs, Vicente Padilla won his 100th game, and the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants with an 8-2 win Wednesday.

Kemp was out of the starting lineup the first two games of the series, though he replaced the injured Manny Ramirez Tuesday night, and brought a lowly .208 batting average in June into the finale.

"A couple of days off did me some good," Kemp said. "It let my body get a rest and probably rested my mind a little bit too. I think anybody who plays every day appreciates a day off now and then."

Rafael Furcal had four hits, including a home run, and drove in two for the Dodgers, who earned a sweep in San Francisco for the first time in three years.

"He makes us that much more exciting," Dodgers' manager Joe Torre said of Furcal. "He can do a lot of things and not only with a bat in his hands. He elevates us with the way he plays the game."

Padilla (2-2) won for the first time in three starts since coming off the disabled list on June 19.

Ronnie Belliard also drove in a run for the Dodgers.

Aaron Rowand had three hits, including a home run, for the Giants, who lost their fifth straight. Jonathan Sanchez (6-6) allowed five runs on six hits over five innings.

"It was embarrassing," Giants' outfielder Aubrey Huff said. "As an offense we never got anything going this whole series."

Even without an injured Ramirez, who has a strained right hamstring, the Dodgers had more than enough punch. The top three batters combined to go 8 of 13 with four runs scored.

Third baseman Jamey Carroll had two doubles, walked twice and scored three runs as the Dodgers improved to 21-5 within their division.

"Playing well against our own division makes up for some of the sins we've committed elsewhere," Torre said.

Padilla used a masterful changeup to keep the Giants off balance and off the bases. Aside from Rowand's sixth-inning shot over the center field wall, only four others reached base and none went past first against him.

Padilla, who reached the century mark in his 11th big league season, earned his first win since beating the Giants on April 16. He allowed the one run on three hits, walking one and striking out five.

Furcal, who had four hits, hit a two-run shot in the fifth. Two batters later, Kemp hit a solo shot well up into the left field stands.

"He was fighting himself and going through a rough time," Torre said of Kemp. "He realized you really can slow the game down. He looked very calm today."

Kemp and Belliard each drove in a run in the seventh and Carroll scored on a passed ball.

The Dodgers scored twice in the third, on Kemp's RBI single and a fielding error by Pat Burrell in left field.

Sanchez, who walked two and struck out four, is 0-5 in nine starts and 11 appearances against the Dodgers.

The Giants scored a total of 14 runs over their six-game homestand and scored two or fewer runs in each of their past five games.

"There's no sugar-coating it, we didn't play well this whole homestand," Giants' manager Bruce Bochy said. "We got our tails kicked. This was a rough series. Our challenge is to get out of this as soon as possible. We're still in a pretty good position."

The Dodgers have won 26 of their last 39 games in San Francisco.

Juan Uribe drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Notes: Dodgers' RHP Cory Wade (right shoulder surgery) is making progress and Torre said "we'll certainly make a decision in the short term." ... The Giants haven't lost five straight at home since June 2008. ... Padilla is 5-0 in six starts at AT&T Park. ... The Giants had their first losing homestand of the season.