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Hoffman picks up landmark save as Padres down Dodgers

Jun 7, 2007 - 6:24 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Trevor Hoffman already has the all-time saves record. Perhaps it is fitting he reached another milestone against the team he has closed out the most.

Hoffman notched his 500th career save as the San Diego Padres posted a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

The Padres closer, who has recorded 58 saves against the Dodgers over his 15-year career - the most he has recorded against any team - worked around a double by Nomar Garciaparra in the ninth to reach a milestone that places him 22 saves ahead of Lee Smith on the all-time saves list and 81 saves ahead of Mariano Rivera on the active saves list.

"I think it was apropos," Padres manager Bud Black said. "When we were looking at the lineup after the game, it just looked right to have Maddux as the starting pitcher and Trevor getting the save. I think with the number of saves that he's gotten, he's set a standard that nobody has done before."

San Diego mobbed Hoffman at the mound following his strikeout of Russell Martin to end the contest. His teammates carried him off the field, as he tipped his cap a number of times to acknowledge the crowd as he nailed down his 18th save in 20 chances.

"It's special to have it done at home, Hoffman said. "It's special in that it has kind of allowed us to reflect on the role again, and realize the numbers that other closers have put up and where they stand, and to not minimize that. I'm privileged to be part of a select group."

The 39-year-old has blown just 58 saves over his 15-year career, an 89.6 percent conversion rate.

Geoff Blum hit a two-run double in the second off Los Angeles starter Randy Wolf (7-4) to give the Padres an early 2-0 advantage. He struck again in his next at-bat in the third with a two-run single to center to plate two more runs and put San Diego ahead 5-0.

"It was a good night. We scored runs, we got some key hits, and that's what it's all about. I just happened to sit back on a curve that stayed up a little bit in the zone," Blum said. "With hard work, dedication, and a little bit of luck, things worked out."

The run support was more than enough for Greg Maddux (5-3) pitched 6 1/3 strong innings against the team he pitched for last season, yielding two runs and five hits with a walk. The 40-year-old righthander won his fifth straight start at PETCO Park.

"They started with one Hall of Famer and they finished it off with another," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. That is the way the game is supposed to be played. They outpitched us and outhit us.

"We hit some balls pretty good off of (Maddux) but it was not enough. Teams have been trying to figure him out for twenty years and I suspect they will keep trying until he retires."

Heath Bell and Scott Linebrink combined to allowed a walk in 1 2/3 innings before handing the ball off to Hoffman in the ninth for his historic save.

Wolf surrendered five runs and eight hits with three walks and six strikeouts in the loss, bringing to an end a stretch that saw him win four straight decisions.

"It was really a bad night," Wolf said. "It was pretty obvious I was behind guys all night and when I had to make a pitch, it (caught) too much of the plate. That's two recipes for disaster."

Jeff Kent homered and scored both runs for the Dodgers, who have lost two straight after a stretch where they had won nine of 12 contests.