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Ethier leads Dodgers over Phillies

Aug 11, 2010 - 4:03 AM PHILADELPHIA(AP) -- Starting at the top, the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't be stopped.

Andre Ethier had four hits, scored four runs and reached base six times, and Casey Blake and Jay Gibbons hit home runs to lead the Dodgers to a 15-9 battering of the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

"We hope to give the pitching staff a little confidence and let them know their offense is clicking," Ethier said. "At the same time, it gives us a little confidence, too."

Confidence wasn't an issue for an offense that had 18 hits, eight against starter Kyle Kendrick (7-5), who lasted only 3 1-3 innings. The top four hitters in the batting order - Scott Podsednik, Ryan Theriot, Ethier and James Loney - had 11 hits and scored 11 runs.

Podsednik and Theriot, two players acquired in trades last month, set it up for the big hitters.

"The more times Theriot and I are on base, the better this offense is going to run," Podsednik said. "Those doubles by Ethier are just doubles without us on base. When he and I are on, they have to pitch to those guys and it allows them to do their job."

Los Angeles started a seven-game road trip through Philadelphia and Atlanta with their highest-scoring game of the season. The Dodgers had gone 6-15 since the All-Star Break before winning three straight.

The Dodgers already led 3-0 before scoring four runs in the fourth to chase Kendrick. Ethier, Loney and Blake all had run-scoring singles off reliever Antonio Bastardo. Blake finished with four RBIs.

Vicente Padilla (6-3) entered the game with a second-half ERA of 1.04 and had allowed just three runs in 26 innings. After cruising through the first three innings, the right-hander began to falter on a 91-degree night.

Ross Gload, playing first base for an injured Ryan Howard, hit the first of his two, two-run homers in the fifth, cutting the lead to 7-4, but the Dodgers answered with a four-run sixth inning.

"I'm pleased the way we kept coming back and scoring," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "We came right back and that was big. They scored three and we scored four. We got the offense today."

After a 12-game home winning streak, the Phillies dropped two of their past three at Citizens Bank. They allowed 15 runs for the first time since Aug. 22, 2007, also in Philadelphia against the Dodgers.

"We got so far behind it was hard to catch up," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Our guys swung the bats well, but we couldn't stop them."

Phillies rookie Domonic Brown hit the first home run of his career in the sixth inning off Ronald Belisario.

Gibbons returned to the major leagues on Aug. 8. His homer off David Herndon was his first since July 17, 2007, while with the Baltimore Orioles.

Asked if he remembered what it felt like to hit a homer in the majors, Gibbons said, "I was in a fog. I know it felt good off the bat. It was a good win for us and a good night."

Out of baseball for two years, and hoping to become a college assistant coach, Gibbons returned to Los Angeles in a minor league deal. A good season with Triple-A Albuquerque earned him a promotion.

He gained a new outlook while he was away.

"I'm treating every day like it's my last," he said. "Having kids helped a lot. It changed my perspective on things and took my mind off baseball for a while. Baseball used to consume me, and it's just a part of my life."

NOTES: The Dodgers placed SS Rafael Furcal (lower back pain) on the 15-day DL after the game, retroactive to Aug. 9. ... The Dodgers activated Belisario from the restricted list. RHP Ramon Troncoso was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque to make room. ... The Phillies recalled LHP Antonio Bastardo from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace OF John Mayberry, who was optioned on Sunday. Bastardo worked 2-3 of an inning in relief and surrendered a run and three hits. ... Philadelphia's Raul Ibanez singled with two outs in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 17 games.