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Kuroda dazzles as Dodgers stymie Padres

Apr 5, 2008 - 6:31 AM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Hiroki Kuroda's first start on American soil was a splendid one.

Kuroda tossed seven strong innings in his major league debut and the Los Angeles Dodgers used a six-run seventh inning to defeat the San Diego Padres, 7-1, in the opener of a three-game set on Friday.

The 33-year-old Kuroda (1-0) retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced before before Brian Giles touched him for a solo shot in the sixth to even the score at 1-1.

"Of course I was a little bit nervous, but I have experienced this nervousness in Japan as well," Kuroda said. "I didn't think I was going to be able to win so early in the season. Obviously, I prepared so much for this game, but it's only one game. I will go forward from here."

Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Kuroda allowed only two other baserunners in the game, giving up just three hits and throwing only 77 pitches in his first appearance in the United States after playing 11 seasons in Japan. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

"Even though he is a rookie in this league, he has been pitching," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "He certainly just went out and took charge tonight. I was very, very impressed. He didn't seem to have any nerves at all. His pitch count was great and he did a lot of things tonight."

Chad Billingsley came on to yield just one hit over the final two frames and seal the victory.

"(Kuroda) was obviously very good," Padres manager Bud Black said. "That was the first time we had seen him live. Obviously, we saw him on video, but he threw the ball well. He's a little deceptive. We had some good swings at the fastball early in the count, but we just couldn't square them up."

Dodgers catcher Russell Martin broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh with a two-run single against Padres reliever Joe Thatcher (0-1), who had walked the bases loaded, to give the Dodgers a 3-1 advantage. The hit ended a season-opening 0-for-13 skid for Martin.

"It was a good time to get my first (hit)," Martin said. "One is down, and we've got a lot more to go. I was just trying to put the ball in the air and not ground out there."

James Loney, Andre Ethier, and Andruw Jones added run-scoring hits against Glendon Rusch as the Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate and pushed four more runs across in the frame to build a 7-1 lead.

San Diego starter Justin Germano threw six solid innings, yielding just one unearned run on three hits. The 25-year-old righthander struck out three and walked two.

"I thought I was all right," Germano said. "I didn't think I was that sharp. I'm happy with the results and what I was able to accomplish with not really that much stuff."

The lack of run support was a familiar fate for Germano, who is 0-3 in his career versus Los Angeles. San Diego has scored only two runs combined in his four starts against its National League West Division rival.

"It was a great pitchers' duel between Germano and Kuroda," Black said. "They both threw the ball very well. Justin made some key pitches along the way. That was just sort of a carry-over from spring training."

Scott Hairston collected a hit in his fourth straight game for the Padres, who had won two in a row.