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Ethier lifts Dodgers over Padres

Sep 10, 2008 - 4:28 PM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Andre Ethier drove in four runs and Manny Ramirez homered and drove in the go-ahead score with a sacrifice fly to help the Los Angeles Dodgers take down the San Diego Padres, 6-2, on Tuesday.

With the Dodgers facing a 2-1 deficit in the eighth, Russell Martin doubled to lead off the frame against San Diego reliever Heath Bell (6-6) before Andre Ethier tripled to plate Martin and even the score at 2-2.

"My approach was to stay the other way, to stay to left-center," Ethier said. "(Bell) made a couple of quality pitches away on me, so I was looking over there. When a guy throws 95, it's kind of hard to pull it anyways, but I just tried to knock (Martin) in and I was able to do it."

Ramirez followed with a sacrifice fly to the wall in center field, scoring Ethier for a 3-2 lead.

"(Bell) had been throwing the ball wall," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It just got away from us there in the last two innings. Heath is a very good pitcher, but Manny got a fastball he could handle."

Ethier padded the advantage in the ninth, lacing a three-run double down the right-field line to give the first-place Dodgers a 6-2 lead as they won for the ninth time in 10 games.

"(Ethier's) at-bats have been of such high quality," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "In (those) situations, he has been really able to fight for that at-bat, and tonight was a perfect example."

Los Angeles (75-71) leads the Arizona Diamondbacks (72-72) by 2 1/2 games in the National League West.

"We control ourselves right now," Ethier said. "As long as we go out and take care of ourselves, play our game, and focus on what we have to do, we know we have a good shot to get what we want and that's the playoffs."

Joe Beimel (5-1) struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh and got two outs in the eighth to pick up the victory.

Cory Wade got the final out in the eighth, and Jonathan Broxton worked around a walk to retire the side in the ninth and secure the win.

San Diego jumped to an early lead against Los Angeles starter Hiroki Kuroda when Kevin Kouzmanoff doubled home Luis Rodriguez in the first for a 1-0 advantage. Chase Headley added to the lead with a run-scoring double in the third to make it 2-0.

Ramirez halved the deficit by belting San Diego starter Wade LeBlanc's first pitch of the sixth into the left field seats, a solo shot to cut the lead to 2-1.

"Yesterday, they pitched great, and today they did, too," Ramirez said. "You've just got to keep battling every time. Sometimes they're going to get you and you're going to get them and that's part of the game."

It was Ramirez's 12th home run with Los Angeles and 522nd career, moving him past Willie McCovey, Ted Wiliams, and Frank Thomas for 17th place on the all-time list.

"(Ramirez) is a pro," Torre said. "He's been doing this a long time and he really hasn't lost any hunger for this, that's what I see."

Brian Giles collected a pair of hits for the Padres, who had won six of seven games at Petco Park.