Padres drop 5th in a row with 2-1 loss to Dodgers

Remember when Kirk Gibson reached across home plate and sent a two-out pitch into the grandstands, limping around the bases to the tune of a 1-0 World Series lead?

“He looked like he was playing with a chip on his shoulder”, San Diego manager Pat Murphy said.

Posey, who caught every one of Bumgarner’s 32 starts this year, called the left-hander’s season: “Unreal”.

Third baseman Justin Turner homered, and Zack Greinke delivered another strong outing, leading the Dodgers by the San Diego Padres in a 2-1 victory Saturday night before 52,352 at Dodger Stadium. Amarista was thrown out at first on the play.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Adrian Gonzalez, left, is congratulated by…

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Frank Garces throws to the plate… “Obviously not the most important thing in the world”.

Kershaw is eager to get the playoffs started.

“I probably made pitches better than any year before”, Greinke said.

Mattingly plans to stick with his best lineup the rest of the way, resting those who need it.

Kershaw allowed two hits and no walks on 60 pitches over 3 2/3 scoreless innings. But I feel good in New York too. One, has had more play time this season than Puig. “He just keeps marching along”. In the two NLDS games he started last season, he pitched almost immaculate games until the seventh innings. He reached 300 on a swinging strikeout of Upton to end the third, earning a standing ovation.

“The defense was great”, Anderson said. “It’s nothing more than Game 7”. Or imagine having to go up against each of them multiple times in the longer seven-game affairs that make up the League Championship Series and the World Series. With Kershaw on the mound, it seemed like an insurmountable deficit for the Giants to overcome. “My changeup I felt was pretty good and the curveball was in the mix this time”, he said.

“I think this is really a couple of days to see what he can do and see where he’s at”.

Kershaw has been a strong as ever in recent weeks and he is the play here. “He was smiling out there”. “This year there wasn’t hardly any errors behind me the whole year”.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner, center, scores on a single by…

Greinke had just one major hiccup – a one-out homer by Austin Hedges over the left-field fence in the fifth inning. Closer Kenley Jansen served as pitching coach for the day. Greinke, who has won his last eight starts at home, capped his campaign with the lowest ERA in the majors at 1.66.

But while nine other teams are pondering the best rotation for the playoffs, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has the luxury of writing in the starters for Games 1 and 2 in indelible ink.

“I thought it was just her being bad at signing”.

It moved them a half game ahead of the Houston Astros in the tight race for an American League Wild Card berth.

They improved to 90-70 – their third straight season with that many wins – after the Mets (89-70) got rained out earlier. Choo also had a two-run homer in the first.