SAN DIEGO -- Hyun-Jin Ryu picked up where Clayton Kershaw left off in beating the San Diego Padres, 10-3, on Monday night.
Ryu wasn't quite as dominating as Kershaw was on Sunday when stifling the Arizona Diamondbacks to snap a three-game skid. But Ryu (2-0) gave the Dodgers their second two-game winning streak on the season by keeping San Diego at bay. The left-hander pitched six innings, surrendering two runs and three hits. His season-high nine strikeouts came without a walk.
"It was definitely nice,'' Ryu said through a translator. "I always say I don't overpower the hitter, so command is very important. I'm very happy with my [start] today and how I contributed to the team winning.''
Matt Kemp, a former Padre, contributed a three-run homer, and San Diego's defense chipped in with three errors to break its three-game winning streak. Robbie Erlin (0-2) took the loss.

Yasmani Grandal, another player with Padres roots, smacked his third career grand slam in the ninth while extending his hitting streak to six games.

For Ryu, who goes to 5-1 lifetime against the Padres, it was his second straight solid start -- and win -- after he scuffled in his season debut. Monday's performance was an encore to his eight-inning, one-hit scoreless showing against the A's last week.
"To have back-to-back outings with at least eight strikeouts is a reflection of my command I have,'' Ryu said.
Ryu is trying to rebound from a three-year stretch which has been challenging. He missed all of 2015 with a shoulder surgery and threw in just one game in 2016. Last year, he scuffled in losing nine of 14 decisions.
"The last couple of years have been tough, especially last year when I lost more games than I won,'' Ryu said. "Games like this one definitely helps and my teammates are helping me as well. My teammates had my back today and I wish I could do this more often.''
Manager Dave Roberts was impressed with Ryu.
"He tried to come in on a couple of guys and got beat when it he didn't get it to the spot,'' Roberts said. "But the change, the breaking ball, the fastball command and the cutter was really good. He was good tonight and it was good to see him give us those six innings.''
Ryu said the Dodgers exploding for five runs in the third eased his load.
"It helped a lot; that was the most important part of the game,'' he said. "I got the lead and I was able to attack the hitters. That definitely helped me get through six innings.''
It appears veterans Chase Utley and Justin Turner got through to their teammates. They spoke last week about getting deeper in counts and being more selective at the plate. Since then, the Dodgers have won two straight and scored 17 runs.
"I think is a direct reflection of what those guys said,'' Roberts added. "It's very powerful when the team leaders to step up and give their thoughts. And for the rest of the guys to buy into that the last couple of days, we saw the results."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Ole!: Just maybe, if rookie third baseman Christian Villanueva squares up Chris Taylor's ground ball to open the fateful third inning, this game wouldn't have turned into a laugher. But Villanueva, who homered in his third straight game, waved at the ball as if he was a bullfighter. That error led to another Padres miscue and before they could record three outs, the Dodgers had five runs.

HE SAID IT
"I got booed at Dodger Stadium when I got traded. The fans love their team and stick with their team. It's part of the game." -- Matt Kemp, on hearing the jeers from Padres fans before he batted in the first inning
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Manager Dave Roberts' two favorite shortstops are playing on consecutive days. He saw one of them, Corey Seager, in Monday's game. But he won't get to see the other one: Cole, his son. The younger Roberts, a junior, starts for Solana Beach's Santa Fe Christian High School and it faces Clairemont on Tuesday.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Alex Wood seeks his first win on the season when facing the San Diego Padres in the middle contest of the three-game series on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Wood (0-2) faces another winless starter in the Padres' Bryan Mitchell (0-2). The left-handed Wood struggled in his last start against the Oakland A's, surrendering seven runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.