Renfroe's homer gets Padres back in win column

LOS ANGELES -- The Padres needed a win so badly on Friday night, they played right through an earthquake to get it.

Four innings after Dodger Stadium shook during a magnitude 7.1 quake, Hunter Renfroe delivered yet another massive home run in the trajectory of the Padres’ season. His solo shot in the eighth inning sent San Diego to a 3-2 victory, snapping a five-game losing streak in dramatic fashion.

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Renfroe, who authored a walk-off grand slam against the Dodgers in May, has already hit his share of big home runs this season. But given the opponent, the score and the nature of the Padres’ skid, Friday’s might have been the biggest.

“Good to beat the Dodgers and get out of this losing streak,” Renfroe said.

The Padres led, 2-1, in the fourth when an earthquake centered approximately 150 miles northeast of Dodger Stadium made the ballpark sway and TV cameras shake. In the dugouts and bullpens, the players felt the effects. On the field, they didn’t, however, and the game continued unabated.

“The only thing I could tell was the stadium just got louder,” said Padres lefty Eric Lauer. "So I just kept pitching. I had no idea what was going on.”

The Dodgers rallied to tie the game in the sixth, and they had the heart of their lineup due up in the bottom of the eighth when Renfroe came to the plate. He fell behind against right-hander Yimi Garcia, who then hung a 1-2 slider.

Renfroe didn’t miss. He sent a low line drive into the left-field pavilion for his 26th home run of the season, equaling his total from both 2017 and ‘18. For the most part, he’s made them count.

“You can't look at it as a big situation,” Renfroe said. “You've got to look at it as another at-bat. You go up there give it the best you can. It just so happened to be a big one. When you go up there and you think it's a big moment, you may try and do too much.”

Renfroe also made two excellent defensive plays -- a sliding grab in left field to end the seventh, then a running grab in right field in the ninth after a defensive switch. From there, Kirby Yates slammed the door with the first five-out save of his career.

“You want to end [the streak] as soon as you can,” Yates said. “When they start piling up, there’s a sense of urgency and there’s a sense of needing to win.”

That sense of urgency is precisely why, as early-July home runs go, Renfroe’s was such an important one. The Padres had fallen three games below .500, and their grip on the National League Wild Card race felt like it was slipping.

Now, the skid’s over, and they might have something to build on heading into next week’s All-Star break. Once again, it’s Renfroe they can thank.

Lauer power

The Padres' pitching staff has struggled with the Dodgers for most of the past decade. Lauer doesn't have that problem.

The 24-year-old left-hander has easily been the Padres' most reliable weapon against Los Angeles. And he was excellent again on Friday night. (Even if his defense was not.)

Lauer allowed a run in the third after Franmil Reyes dropped a popup and Eric Hosmer threw to the wrong base on a bunt. Another Dodgers run scored in the sixth when Hosmer threw wildly to home plate on a fielder's choice. Still, Lauer limited the damage both times.

“He was sharp,” said manager Andy Green. “He was competitive the whole day. And he rose to the occasion, every time we put him in a bad spot."

Otherwise, Lauer stifled the Dodgers' hot bats all night. He worked six innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, while striking out six. In five career starts against the Dodgers, Lauer owns a 1.47 ERA.

“It's a fun feeling, because I like how there's that background rivalry,” Lauer said. “That plays into it a little bit. I play it up in my head a little bit. I just like that feeling of a big game, and it always feels like a big game against the Dodgers.”

Injury scare

The Padres collectively held their breath in the bottom of the fifth inning when Fernando Tatis Jr. went to the infield dirt clutching his right arm. The rookie phenom banged his elbow on the helmet of Austin Barnes as he leapt to try and make a catch at second base.

Tatis was evaluated by a team trainer for about a minute, before he rose to his feet and began playing catch with first baseman Hosmer. He would remain in the game with no lingering effects.

“When you run out there, you’re anxious,” Green said, noting that Tatis was merely struck on the funny bone.