Dodgers can’t hold lead, lose to Padres, 6-3

Clayton Kershaw notched his 200th strikeout for the third consecutive year.

Andre Ethier collected his 1,000th hit, a solo home run.

But the feats weren’t enough, as Logan Forsythe’s two-run single led the San Diego Padres to a 6-3 win over the Dodgers in 11 innings Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Forsythe’s hit in the 11th inning was followed by a run-scoring single by Chase Headley, and both came against reliever John Ely, making his first appearance with the Dodgers this season after being called up from triple A.

Another Dodgers reliever, Matt Guerrier, gave up a two-run home run to Yasmani Grandal in the eighth inning that enabled the Padres to tie the score, 3-3, and send the game into extra innings.

The Dodgers began the night 41/2 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West and within a half-game of an NL wild-card berth.

The Dodgers ended a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning when Shane Victorino’s single drove in A.J. Ellis and Adrian Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in Mark Ellis. But Grandal’s home run got the Padres even again.

The game opened rudely for Kershaw, with Chris Denorfia belting a home run on the left-hander’s first pitch.

It was the only run given up in seven innings by Kershaw, the reigning Cy Young Award winner who surrendered five hits and struck out nine.

That gave Kershaw 201 strikeouts to become the fifth pitcher in Los Angeles Dodgers history with three consecutive 200-strikeout seasons.

Kershaw’s strong outing was what the Dodgers needed on a day when Manager Don Mattingly said starter Chad Billingsley is probably done for the season because of a sore elbow and closer Kenley Jansen is out for at least another two weeks.

There are 25 games remaining in the regular season.

Outside of Ethier’s home run in the second inning, his third in four games, the Dodgers struggled with the off-speed pitches thrown by starter Eric Stults, a former Dodger, who gave up only one run in six innings.

Outlook for Jansen and Billingsley

Jansen, sidelined because of an irregular heartbeat, said doctors want him to stay on blood thinners another 10 days and then he plans to rejoin the Dodgers when they open a series Sept. 18 against the Nationals in Washington.

“It will be a perfect time to come back and help the team,” Jansen said.

Jansen said doctors also are considering a medical procedure in the off-season in hopes of eliminating his heart rhythm problems.

“If I do the surgery I will be off the medicine, so that would be good for me,” the right-hander said.

Billingsley was scheduled to receive a second injection of platelet-rich plasma Wednesday in hopes of healing his sore elbow.

But Mattingly said with the season’s end fast approaching, Billingsley’s chances of returning this year were “pretty far down.”

There had been talk of Billingsley perhaps being well enough to throw an inning of relief late in the season. Mattingly said that idea also was “going down the tubes” but that “we’re not talking about surgery or anything at this moment” for Billingsley.

Guerra goes on DL

Reliever Javy Guerra was put on the disabled list because of an abdomen strain, and reliever Josh Wall was recalled from triple-A Albuquerque.

Guerra had just been called up from triple A when he strained the muscle Sunday while warming up for one inning he pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mattingly said.

Guerra, who was the Dodgers’ closer earlier this year before losing the job to Jansen, is 2-3 this season with eight saves and a 2.60 earned-run average in 45 games.

james.peltz@latimes.com